Christ Taking Leave from His Mother

probably c. 1509/1510

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

The image shows four figures in various positions, with one central figure standing and the other three gathered around in sitting and kneeling positions. The central figure has long, wavy hair and a beard, with distinct facial features and a serene expression. They are dressed in a long robe and holding an object resembling a book or a scroll. The other figures include one with a covered head and two cloaked individuals. One of the cloaked figures is gesturing towards the central figure. The setting includes a wooden structure on the left, trees and a town in the background on the right, and a path leading into the countryside. A barren tree stands near the path, with additional small groups of figures visible in the distance.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 12.7 × 9.7 cm (5 × 3 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3637

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 132

  • Series Title

    The Small Woodcut Passion

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Joseph Daniel Böhm [1794-1865], Vienna (Lugt 271); Robert Scholtz [1834-1912], Budapest (Lugt 2241); (William Schab, New York); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d), 1940; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1956

  • The Life of Christ in Prints, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1956-1957, no cat.

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. 2: no. 193.

Inscriptions

in block, bottom right, on tablet: AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower right, in graphite by a later hand: 627; verso, lower right, in graphite by a later hand: 6; verso, bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: B 21 [faded]

Watermarks

none visible

Wikidata ID

Q18338584

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