Christ Bearing the Cross

c. 1470/1480

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

This is a drawing of a figure carrying a large wooden cross surrounded by others. The main figure is struggling under the weight of the cross, with a halo around its head. The background shows a simple architectural structure, with green hills under a blue sky. The figures around the central individual are clad in colorful garments, red, yellow, and green being the prominent colors. They appear to be either assisting or impeding the central figure's movement. The style of this illustration offers a rich texture with bold outlines and a flat perspective.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in green, red, yellow, light orange, tan, blue, black and tarnished silver leaf on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 8 × 5.8 cm (3 1/8 × 2 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.472

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 352, State a

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ludwig Rosenthal, Munich, Cat. 90, 1892, no.17; Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] sold 1939 via his son Walter Aufhäuser to Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA (L.1760c and L.1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For more information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Papers, Box 9; Lessing J. Rosenwald, Recollections of a Collector, Jenkintown, Pa, 1976, pp. 14-18, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 47, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965: no. 47.

Watermarks

indeterminate

Wikidata ID

Q64952907

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