The Entombment (n.d., Met-Objekt 379)
Original title: The Entombment
kurzbeschreibung
A woodcut by Albrecht Dürer from the early 16th century presents the Entombment of Christ. Mourning women and other figures surround the dead Jesus in a dense, moving arrangement.
Description
Several women in dark robes have gathered around Christ's body; their faces reveal grief and bewilderment. Some hold cloths or linen bands, a sign of the impending burial. Behind them stand other mourners wearing head coverings and contemporary clothing. Beyond them opens a landscape with trees, where a cross recalls Jesus's death. The black and white of the print creates balanced tonal values and a strong contrast between the figures and the background.
Context
This sheet probably belongs to Dürer's large Passion cycles, made around 1500 and quickly widely circulated. The Entombment was a core motif of late medieval devotion; it was meant to make the viewer inwardly share in Christ's suffering. In his woodcuts, Dürer combined late Gothic expressive means with impulses from the Italian Renaissance.
Impact
The crowded arrangement of figures and the expressive faces evoke an immediate, moving grief that leaves the viewer not untouched. Clear lines and the contrast between foreground and background give the image a solemn, almost monumental stillness.
Technique
The fine lines and hatching in this woodcut create a sense of plasticity and depth, giving the mourning figures and the landscape a sculptural quality despite the monochrome palette. The sheet measures approximately 38.7 x 27.6 centimeters, a format typical for single-leaf prints of the period, and its even lighting and sharp contrasts are characteristic of the printing technique. The preservation of the print allows the intricate details of the composition to remain legible, with the paper and printing ink showing the marks of the process on the sheet.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)