Section E: Christ Riding on a Triumphal Cart, from "The Triumph of Christ"
Original title: Section E: Christ Riding on a Triumphal Cart, from "The Triumph of Christ"
kurzbeschreibung
Christ enters on a triumphal chariot, accompanied by a procession. This 1836 lithograph by Andrea Andreani reproduces Albrecht Dürer's woodcut 'Christ on the Triumphal Chariot' from the cycle 'The Triumph of Christ'. The sheet measures 398 × 27 cm.
Description
Christ is enthroned at the middle of a triumphal chariot. He wears a long-sleeved robe, a nimbus hovers above his head, and a lance rests in his right hand. Figures in traditional dress gather around the wagon, among them priests and an angel. The arrangement is symmetrical and centres on Christ, with the figures turned in profile or half-profile. Andreani's lithograph renders the subject in monochrome black and white, evenly lit, without shadows or gradations of colour.
Context
The woodcut copied here was made around 1522 as part of Dürer's 'Triumph of Christ'. Andreani produced his copy in 1836, at a time when Dürer's work was enjoying a revival. Lithographs were then often used to reproduce older woodcuts and bring them to a wider public.
Impact
Clean lines and the symmetrical layout give the sheet a solemn, dignified mood. Christ appears as a triumphant figure at the heart of the procession, which lends the image an exalted, almost monumental presence. The monochrome printing reinforces that impression.
Technique
The lithograph was made by stone printing: a drawing in greasy chalk is set down on a limestone block, which is then printed. Andreani's copy follows the delicate lines and details of the original woodcut without reproducing its characteristic structures. The unusually large format of 398 × 27 cm points to a carefully made reproduction.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)