Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
The Ascension, from The Little Passion, c. 1510
Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremburg 1471–1528 Nuremburg)
Woodcut
Albrecht Dürer’s The Ascension is from his series of thirty-seven
woodcuts now called The Small Passion. Dürer conceived and
published these prints as a book in 1511. Facing the thirty-seven
images were Latin verses by Benedictus Chelidonius (c. 1460–
1521) that were based on the short final period of Jesus’ life,
ending ultimately in his crucifixion. Some of the compositions
from The Small Passion, including The Ascension, were quite
derivative of earlier biblical illustrations. However, Dürer’s image
is distinguished by the intricate line work that was relatively new
to woodcuts in 1510. To execute this line work, Dürer employed
a team of skilled carvers to cut his woodblocks. In this image,
Dürer’s use of detail is particularly striking in the depiction of the
facial features of the Apostles. Through his varied use of line,
he emphasizes the emotional intensity of the scene while still
conveying the narrative quality of Christ’s ascension.
To associate his name with his images, Dürer designed a monogram
that can be seen in the bottom left hand corner of this
print. As a result of this, Dürer was the first printmaker in the
West to monogram his woodcuts. This practice began happening
throughout Europe, as Lucas van Leyden, Dürer’s contemporary,
also began including monograms in his woodcuts.
The Printing Museum, Bader Collection
2000.013.18Label Type
Object LabelLabel
The Ascension, from The Little Passion, c. 1510
Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremburg 1471–1528 Nuremburg)
Woodcut
The Printing Museum, Bader Collection
2000.013.18