Christ in Emmaus, from "The Small Passion"

Christ in Emmaus, from "The Small Passion," is a pivotal woodcut created by Albrecht Dürer in 1510. This piece belongs to Dürer’s highly celebrated series depicting the life of Christ, known as "The Small Passion," which showcased the artist’s mastery of the graphic arts. The series was enormously influential across Europe, demonstrating Dürer's groundbreaking approach to printmaking and elevating the woodcut medium from a simple illustrative device to a profound artistic format suitable for individual contemplation.

The scene captures the intimate biblical narrative known as the Recognition at Emmaus, set shortly after the resurrection. The composition focuses on the three central human figures gathered around a small dining table in a simple interior setting. Dürer utilizes precise, dense line work to define the heavy wooden chairs and the architectural elements of the room, focusing the viewer’s attention entirely on the dramatic realization unfolding between the characters. Christ, centrally placed, performs the act of breaking the bread, which instantly identifies him to the two disciples, who react with expressions of shock and awe.

Dürer’s technical skill revolutionized the quality achievable with the wood block. Despite the inherent constraints of the medium, this print exhibits an extraordinary level of detail and textural richness, characteristic of this German Renaissance master. This work is a crucial example of the distribution of religious imagery during the 16th century, making high-quality prints accessible to a broader audience. Today, the work resides within the comprehensive collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, preserving this key example of Dürer’s graphic output, which is often referenced through public domain resources.