The Lamentation by Albrecht Dürer, created in 1504, is a seminal work of German Renaissance printmaking. Executed as a copperplate engraving, this piece showcases the artist’s unparalleled mastery of the burin, employing complex networks of precise, deliberate lines to render texture, depth, and shadow.
The subject matter centers on the moment after Christ’s removal from the cross, depicting his lifeless body supported by sorrowful figures, including the grieving Virgin Mary and St. John. Dürer’s composition balances the deep emotional intensity characteristic of Northern European devotion with the classical monumentality he absorbed during his travels to Italy. The meticulous cross-hatching defines the dramatic folds of the drapery and the anatomical structure of the figures, establishing a visual weight and realism rarely achieved in prints of the period.
As a print, the work facilitated the wide dissemination of Dürer’s artistic innovations across Europe, cementing his reputation as the preeminent master of the medium in Germany during the early sixteenth century. The exceptional quality and clarity of the engraved line work visible in this impression demonstrate why prints by Dürer are regarded as high points in the history of graphic arts. This significant example of public domain printmaking is housed in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
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