The Crucifixion called the Sword Pommel of Maximilian

c. 1518

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of a crucifixion scene. The drawing includes a man on a cross at the center, surrounded by several figures with halos around their heads. The central figure has a cloth around the waist, arms outstretched on the beam of the cross, and head tilted downwards. Below the cross is a skull and crossbones symbol. Additional figures on both sides of the cross have different expressions and gestures, possibly engaged in mourning or contemplation. The artwork is set within a circular border, reminiscent of a medallion. The figures' attire and shading demonstrate a high level of technical skill typical of print or engraving art often associated with the Renaissance period.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (diameter; trimmed to platemark): 3.81 cm (1 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3538

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 24, state i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Ralf Leopold von Retberg [1812-1885], Munich. (Richard H. Zinser, Forest Hills, NY); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1932d), 1940; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2012

  • Imperial Augsburg: Renaissance Prints and Drawings, 1475-1540, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, TX; Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, 2012-2014, no. 89.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 1: no. 90.

Inscriptions

verso, upper half, in graphite by a later hand: Original / Passavant / Prestel; verso, center, in graphite by a later hand: 378.; verso, lower center, in graphite by a later hand: B.23; verso, bottom center, in graphite by a later hand: C4265 [underlined]; verso, bottom right, in graphite by a later hand: C.9386

Watermarks

none

Wikidata ID

Q18339731

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