The Mocking of Christ who is seated in center, blindfolded, from "The Passion of Christ"
Original title: The mocking of Christ who is seated in center, blindfolded, from "The Passion of Christ", after Dürer
kurzbeschreibung
Christ sits blindfolded at the center, surrounded by mockers—this is how Marcantonio Raimondi (ca. 1500–34) presents a scene from the 'Passion of Christ'. The engraving is in its second state of three and derives from a design by Albrecht Dürer. In this Passion episode, several figures gather around the prisoner and taunt him.
Description
On the ground crouches Christ, eyes bound, wrapped in a robe, his short curly hair visible. Around him stand and kneel several people in armor or simple clothing, some holding a stick or a mirror. An arch and a door frame the setting. The layout directs everything toward the central figure, while light falls from above onto faces and bodies. The black-and-white reproduction uses varied lines and hatching to create shadow.
Context
Raimondi was an Italian engraver of the Renaissance, known for his reproductions after artists such as Albrecht Dürer. The 'Passion of Christ' series came about by transferring Dürer's woodcut series into copper. The dating ca. 1500–34 covers Raimondi's Roman years, during which he worked, among others, with Raphael. In the second state of the print, changes from the first are possible, suggesting revision by the artist.
Impact
The figures press densely around Christ, creating a stifling, almost overwhelming mood. The symmetrical arrangement and the light from above draw the eye to the central figure and emphasize his defenselessness. The rich linework gives the scene a calm but insistent presence.
Technique
For engraving, lines are incised into a copper plate to produce impressions. Shading is achieved through fine hatching and cross-hatching, which give the figures corporeality. That three states exist and the present one is the second indicates that the plate was reworked after the first printing—a process typical of Raimondi.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)