Christ on the Cross

1490

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

This is a drawing of a crucifixion scene with figures standing on either side of the cross. The central figure is depicted on a wooden cross with nails through the hands and feet, crowned with thorns and clothed in a loincloth. Each side of the cross has a figure cloaked in heavy garments, one looking mournful and the other gazing upward. The figures have halos around their heads. At the foot of the cross, there is a skull and bones. The composition uses fine lines and detailed shading to create an impression of depth and solemnity, characteristic of religious woodcut illustrations.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on vellum

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.478

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 386

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Gilhofer and Ranschburg, Luzern, Cat. 20 (1930), no. 11); Josef Wunsch, Vienna; purchased 1 February 1930 by Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA (L1760b and L1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1932

  • Prints from the Collection of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Philadelphia, Lakeside Press Galleries, Chicago, IL, 1932, no. 2.

1933

  • A Century of Progress, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1933, no. 4.

  • An Exhibition of Prints from the Collection of Lessing J. Rosenwald, Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, PA, 1933, no. 2.

1945

  • Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, John Herron Art Institute, Indianapolis, IN, 1945, no. 2.

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 55, 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. 55.

Wikidata ID

Q64952912

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