Relief with Christ on the Mount of Olives, from the "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
Original title: Relief with Christ on the Mount of Olives, from the "Wittenberg Reliquaries"
kurzbeschreibung
Christ on the Mount of Olives, flanked by three sleeping apostles and visited by an angel, appears in this woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder. The sheet belongs to the Wittenberg Heiltümer series and measures 11 × 8.2 cm.
Description
Three apostles lie in the foreground, their heads resting on their arms. Christ stands at the center in a long-sleeved robe, gazing upward. A cloud surrounds him, and within it music-making angels become visible. Trees and rocks form the landscape behind. The layout is symmetrical around Christ, and the coloring is monochrome with even lighting throughout.
Context
This woodcut is one of a series recording the relic collection of the Schlosskirche in Wittenberg. Cranach made the sheets for an illustrated Heiltumsbuch, first published in 1509. The biblical account of Christ's agony on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:36–46) served as the model.
Impact
A quiet, meditative mood comes through the delicate lines and shading. The symmetrical arrangement and Christ's central position emphasize his role as the main figure. The late Gothic style, with its detailed execution, feels at once precise and devotional.
Technique
For this woodcut the design was cut into a wooden block and printed onto paper. Fine lines and shading became possible this way, giving the figures and landscape a sense of volume. The sheet helped spread information about the relics and forms part of a corresponding series.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)