Calvary

Museum record 11056: Calvary by Albrecht Dürer. A verified entry point for discovery.

What to notice

For Calvary (record 11056), start with modern, expressive, atmospheric. Compare the focal subject, edge treatment, and atmosphere before moving on.

Discover

Albrecht Dürer described this deceptively simple image of Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion as one of his “schlechtes Holzwerk,” his “plain” or “homely woodcuts.” Yet the number of figures represented, the receding landscape, and the pathos embodied by the swooning Virgin Mary and the kneeling Mary Magdalene exceed the artist’s own modest assessment of the work. In comparison with earlier woodcuts, especially the quickly produced book illustrations undertaken in Wolgemut’s workshop, the woodblock must have been…