The Flagellation

The Flagellation is a seminal German woodcut created by Albrecht Dürer in 1497. This pivotal print is a powerful example of the artist's early maturity and his revolutionary approach to the demanding medium of printmaking during the period 1401 to 1500. Dürer’s intervention elevated the woodcut from a simple, often crude, illustrative technique to a highly expressive art form capable of narrative and emotional complexity. He achieved this through the meticulous use of fine linear detail and sophisticated cross-hatching, demonstrating a mastery of chiaroscuro previously reserved for copper engraving.

The subject matter, depicting the moment Christ is beaten prior to the Crucifixion, is rendered with dramatic intensity. Dürer maximizes the narrative tension by focusing on the powerfully rendered, contorted figures of the tormentors and the suffering of Christ bound to the column. The work, likely intended as a panel within a larger series dedicated to the Passion, required clarity and precision in the line work, ensuring the complex theological narrative could be communicated effectively to a wide German audience through mass-produced prints. This intense emotionality, combined with the rigorous application of Renaissance perspective principles learned during Dürer’s travels, established him as the leading master of the Northern Renaissance.

As a highly sought-after print from the fifteenth century, The Flagellation remains critical to the study of early modern visual culture. The classification as a woodcut underscores the accessibility that Dürer brought to fine art, making such works available for popular consumption rather than solely for elite patrons. The existence of multiple impressions underscores its importance. Due to their age and historical distribution, many original impressions of this work often fall under the public domain today, allowing for global study and preservation. This specific impression is part of the distinguished collection of the National Gallery of Art, offering scholars and visitors a direct encounter with one of Dürer’s most profound expressions of Christian devotion and technical genius.