Engraved copies of The Little Passion

Engraved copies of The Little Passion by Albrecht Dürer are significant examples of early print culture, executed in the medium of engraving and spanning a production period between 1485 and 1699. While Dürer himself is best known for developing the original The Little Passion woodcut series around 1509-1511, these later engraved versions demonstrate the wide and sustained demand for the German Renaissance master’s devotional imagery.

The creation of prints allowed Dürer's complex compositions to circulate extensively across Europe, making them highly susceptible to reproduction and copying by contemporary artists seeking to capitalize on the works’ immense popularity. Engraving is a demanding intaglio technique requiring the use of a burin to incise lines into a metal plate, allowing for a density of detail and tonality crucial for dramatic narrative scenes.

The subjects central to this series focus on the final events of Christ's life, emphasizing moments of suffering, sacrifice, and eventual triumph. Through meticulous detail, the prints illustrate the Passion narrative, often incorporating the arma Christi, or the Tools of Christ’s Passion, such as the nails, the spear, the cross, and the scourge. These symbolic elements serve deep theological and devotional purposes for the viewer. This selection of historical prints is preserved within the prestigious holdings of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reflecting the institution's commitment to documenting the evolution of printmaking and artistic influence. Many of these important historical prints have subsequently entered the public domain, ensuring their continued accessibility for scholarly research and appreciation worldwide.