Agony in the Garden, from The Large Passion

Agony in the Garden, from The Large Passion by Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528, is a powerful early print created between 1496 and 1497. Executed as a woodcut in black on cream laid paper, this work demonstrates the German master’s developing skill in manipulating line and shadow for dramatic and narrative effect. This piece is a critical component of Dürer’s monumental series, The Large Passion, a sequence of religious narratives that helped revolutionize printmaking in Europe and establish the artist’s international reputation.

The subject illustrates the moment Christ prays alone in Gethsemane just before his arrest, a core narrative in Christian theology. Dürer’s interpretation typically contrasts the solitary, anguished figure of Christ with the three sleeping apostles (Peter, James, and John) shown in the foreground. The remarkable detail achieved by the artist in this woodcut elevated the status of prints as an artistic medium in Northern Europe during the late 15th century, allowing complex religious imagery to be widely disseminated throughout Germany and beyond.

The clarity and preservation of this impression makes it a vital document of Dürer's early graphic career. As one of the foundational artists of the German Renaissance, Dürer’s prolific output across various media ensured his enduring legacy. This piece currently resides in the respected permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Due to its age and profound cultural significance, this celebrated work is often made accessible for scholarly research, with high-quality reproductions frequently entering the public domain.