Christ on the Mount of Olives, from "The Passion"

Christ on the Mount of Olives, from "The Passion" is a profound engraving created by Albrecht Dürer in 1508. This pivotal German Renaissance masterwork is part of a larger, highly influential series illustrating the final, crucial moments of Christ's earthly life.

Executed in the demanding medium of engraving, Dürer utilized the burin with unmatched precision to achieve complex textures and remarkable tonal depth. This mastery of line allowed the artist to circulate devotional prints throughout Northern Europe, expanding his influence far beyond painting. The scene itself depicts the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, a moment of profound spiritual isolation just prior to the betrayal.

In the composition, Dürer contrasts the spiritual turmoil of Christ with the physical exhaustion of the sleeping men, his apostles, who lie heedlessly in the foreground. Christ kneels upon a rocky elevation, looking heavenward where an angel appears bearing the cross and the symbolic cup of suffering. The emotional intensity of the moment is heightened by the dramatic lighting achieved through the density of the etched lines. This representation of the suffering Christ defines the poignant devotional quality characteristic of early 16th-century German art.

Dürer's technical innovation in this piece established new standards for graphic arts, demonstrating how reproducible prints could achieve the emotional weight previously reserved for panel paintings. This exceptional print is preserved in the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.