The Betrayal of Christ
Albrecht Dürer
The Betrayal of Christ
engraving
1508
An original Albrecht Dürer engraving.
1508
Original engraving printed in black ink on laid paper bearing the “Bull’s Head with a Flower” watermark (Meder 63, according to Walter Strauss this watermark is found on “impressions of the first quality of the Engraved Passion”).
Dated and signed with the artist’s mongram in the plate on a tablet lower center. A superb 16th century/lifetime Meder “a” (of “f”) impression, printed before the appearance of the horizontal scratch on the tablet. Plate 3 of 15 comprising the Engraved Passion.
Catalog: Bartsch 5; Dodgson 51; Panofsky 112; Meder 5.a; Strauss 49; Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 47.
The Engraved Passion is composed of fifteen engravings. Five were engraved between 1507 and 1511 and the remaining ten in 1512. Unlike the woodcut books, the Passion engravings were not accompanied by text, but from Dürer’s Netherlands diary, we know that he customarily sold them as a set. Dürer’s engravings are more somber and restrained in their presentation of Christ’s passion than either the large or small woodcut versions. The fineness of the engraved lines enabled Dürer to suggest in these scenes an almost spiritual light. The same fineness also made possible a greater exploration of facial expression, thereby expanding psychological dimensions.
