The Descent from the Cross

1460/1480

Workshop of Master of the Borders with the Four Fathers of the Church

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

Master of the Borders with the Four Fathers of the Church

Related Artist, German, active c. 1470

This is a drawing of a scene showing a figure being lowered from a cross. The image is detailed in a style resembling medieval woodcuts, with strong lines and a limited color palette. The scene includes several figures working together to bring down the central figure from the cross. One figure on the left is on a ladder assisting in the task, wearing a green hat. The other figures wear clothing with intricate patterns. The image is framed by a decorative border with floral motifs.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    metalcut, hand-colored in yellow, red-brown lake, and green

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 6.3 × 4.5 cm (2 1/2 × 1 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.672

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 2354

  • Series Title

    Twenty Scenes from the Oxford Passion

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For complete information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Rosenwald Papers, box 9, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1941

  • The First Century of Printmaking 1400-1500, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1941, no. 44b.

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 307, 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.

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q64962905

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