Ecce Homo (reverse copy)

The print Ecce Homo (reverse copy) by Albrecht Dürer is a significant early German Renaissance work executed in woodcut, a medium crucial for the widespread dissemination of religious imagery during the 15th and 16th centuries. Dating from the wide period of 1485-1600, this piece depicts a key scene from the Passion narrative: the moment Christ is presented to the public before his crucifixion. It is housed in the prestigious collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The subject matter focuses intensely on Jesus enduring public humiliation and impending punishment. Dürer’s original composition, known for its dramatic intensity and sophisticated use of line, powerfully captures the solemnity of the moment. Since this particular artwork is noted as a "reverse copy," it demonstrates the enormous commercial demand and intellectual influence of Dürer’s prints throughout Europe, where copyists rapidly reproduced his imagery to meet popular spiritual needs. The surrounding crowd is often comprised of mocking men, frequently depicted bearing the weapons of Roman authority or the tools of torture used in the scourging.

As an example of high-quality early prints, the woodcut medium allowed for robust circulation, making these religious narratives accessible to a far broader audience than original paintings ever could. This tradition established a critical foundation for subsequent generations of graphic artists. This work, which now resides among the Metropolitan Museum's public domain holdings, serves as an invaluable reference point for the study of late 15th and early 16th century printmaking and the global diffusion of German masterworks.