Christ on the Cross, ca. 1484

About the Work

This engraving can be dated with relative precision because it was executed for a missal printed in 1484 at the behest of the prince-bishop of Würzburg. In the background of the wide landscape, we see Christ carrying the cross on the road from Jerusalem to the execution site. At the left of the cross in the foreground is the grieving Virgin Mary accompanied by holy women and the Apostle John; to its right, as related in the Gospels, a Roman captain recognizes the son of God in Christ.