Deposition, from the Small Woodcut Passion

Description

Deposition by Albrecht Dürer presents Christ’s body among a closely gathered company of mourners. Figures bend toward him, their hands and robes creating a dense pattern of attention around the pale central form. In this hand-colored woodcut, warm and cool accents distinguish the clothing and landscape, bringing a vivid surface to the solemn scene.

Dated 1509–10 and belonging to The Small Woodcut Passion, the work expresses grief through acts of support and closeness. The strong underlying lines keep the figures clear, while color gives the separate bodies a more immediate presence. Dürer makes the gathering feel both physical and tender, finding the episode’s emotional force in the shared care directed toward the body at its center.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Dürer collection.