Engraved copies of The Little Passion

Engraved copies of The Little Passion by Albrecht Dürer are representative examples of the influential German Renaissance master’s expertise in the medium of engraving. Produced originally as a highly successful series, the prints were instrumental in disseminating Dürer’s artistic style and theological vision across Europe. The wide span of years associated with these copies, ranging from 1485 to 1699, highlights the enduring commercial and spiritual appeal of Dürer’s designs, reflecting extensive subsequent reprinting and copying, which helped establish these powerful compositions in the public domain of Christian imagery.

The collection, classified as prints, captures the narrative arc detailing the Passion of Christ, focusing intensely on themes of suffering and ultimate sacrifice. Through meticulous line work inherent to the engraving technique, Dürer vividly portrays the dramatic moments involving Christ and the various men central to the Biblical narrative, including apostles, soldiers, and tormentors. While the primary focus is devotional narrative, the extensive nature of the complete cycle sometimes incorporates the study of the human form, occasionally including carefully rendered female nudes within allegorical or necessary supporting scenes of mourning, maintaining the high standard of figural accuracy for which Dürer was known. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds significant examples of these Engraved copies of The Little Passion, ensuring the preservation of this defining body of Renaissance printmaking.