Who painted The Crucifixion?

The Crucifixion was painted by Albrecht Dürer in 1510.

Where can I see The Crucifixion?

The Crucifixion is held by British Museum.

What movement is The Crucifixion?

The Crucifixion is associated with Northern Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of The Crucifixion?

Museum-quality prints of The Crucifixion are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

The Crucifixion by Albrecht Dürer (1510)

Inscription: Inscribed:in block, lower right, on stone: AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower center, in graphite by a later hand: 627; verso, bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: B 40; verso, bottom center, in graphite by a later hand: 25

About this work

Subject & Meaning

By illustrating this specific moment of suffering and sacrifice, the print reinforces the theological significance of the Passion within Christian iconography.

Albrecht Dürer's woodcut depicts the crucifixion of Jesus, serving as a visual interpretation of events described in the New Testament. Created as part of the Little Passion series, the work functions as a piece of religious art intended for devotional contemplation during the German Renaissance. The image focuses entirely on the central narrative of Christ's execution, utilizing the woodcut medium to disseminate this pivotal biblical story.

By illustrating this specific moment of suffering and sacrifice, the print reinforces the theological significance of the Passion within Christian iconography.

Technique & Style

The Crucifixion is a woodcut printed on laid paper, a relief technique in which the image is carved into a wooden block, inked, and transferred under pressure. Dated 1509, it belongs to the German Renaissance and forms part of the print tradition associated with Dürer's Little Passion series. The sheet measures 124 by 95 mm, a modest scale typical of devotional prints intended for private circulation.

As a religious work, it employs the graphic economy of the woodcut medium, dense parallel hatching and stark tonal contrasts, to convey the Crucifixion of Jesus, relying on line rather than wash or color to model form and shadow.

The impression is held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the work is classified as a print within the institution's holdings.

History & Provenance

The Crucifixion was created by Albrecht Dürer in 1509 as a woodcut on laid paper within the German Renaissance tradition. It entered the collection of Joseph Daniel Böhm in Vienna and later passed to Robert Scholtz in Budapest before being acquired by William Schab in New York. Lessing J. Rosenwald purchased the work in 1940 and gifted it to the National Gallery of Art in 1943.

The print is part of Dürer's Little Passion series and depicts the crucifixion of Jesus based on New Testament narratives.

The work measures 124 cm in height and 95 cm in width.

This 1509 woodcut by Albrecht Dürer entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1943 as a gift from Lessing J. Rosenwald. Rosenwald had acquired the work in 1940 from the New York dealer William Schab. Prior to this, the print belonged to Robert Scholtz of Budapest and Joseph Daniel Böhm of Vienna.

The work is held within the museum's Rosenwald Collection. While the National Gallery of Art possesses this specific impression, other examples of the print are located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum.

Overview

Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut entitled The Crucifixion was produced around 1510 on laid paper. The print presents the biblical scene of Jesus on the cross, accompanied by a crowd of onlookers and a skull positioned at the foot of the cross, a traditional reference to Golgotha.

Context

Created during the early sixteenth century, the piece aligns with the Northern Renaissance’s focus on detailed naturalism and theological symbolism. It anticipates Dürer’s subsequent series, The Small Passion, and contributes to the period’s broader visual discourse on the crucifixion narrative.