Christ Crowned with Thorns

1460/1480

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

Associated Names
The image depicts four individuals engaged in a scene. The central figure is seated and has a serene expression, with long hair and a beard, adorned in a flowing reddish-brown garment with a circular clasp at the chest. Surrounding this figure are three other individuals. One stands to the left, holding a sword or dagger, with a focused expression and short hair. Another person on the right, standing behind the seated figure, appears to be wearing a green headpiece and dark clothing, holding a staff or pole, with a distinct upward gaze. The last individual, kneeling in the foreground, also has short hair and is depicted reaching towards the seated figure with an earnest expression and simple robe. The background consists of ornate floral patterns, with some greenery at the bottom that adds to the decorative style of this scene. The entire scene is framed by a border of intricate floral motifs.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

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

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 6.4 × 4.9 cm (2 1/2 × 1 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.689

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 2291

  • 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. 43j.

1956

  • Selected Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, City Art Museum, St. Louis, MO, 1956.

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 305, 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

Q64962936

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