The Man of Sorrows Seated, title page of "The Small Passion" (copy)

The Man of Sorrows Seated, title page of "The Small Passion" (copy) by Albrecht Dürer, is a powerful early 16th-century woodcut print created around 1509-1510. This composition served as the frontispiece for Dürer’s influential series, The Small Passion, a sequence of thirty-six images illustrating the narrative of Christ’s suffering intended for mass distribution. The central figure depicts Christ after the flagellation, identifiable as the Man of Sorrows (Vir dolorum), seated mournfully upon a rocky ledge or throne, wearing the crown of thorns and holding a reed symbolizing his mock kingship. The deep emotional intensity conveyed by his posture and expression embodies profound sadness and human suffering, themes critical to the spiritual life and devotional art of the Northern Renaissance.

Dürer, widely regarded as the preeminent master of German Renaissance prints, demonstrated his extraordinary skill with the woodcut medium in this piece. Though the individual images were relatively small, suitable for private contemplation, the technical precision and dramatic use of line elevated the status of the medium. The sharp contrast achieved through deep black lines against the white paper enhances the narrative drama surrounding Christ's sorrowful contemplation. The extensive dissemination of Dürer’s prints helped solidify his fame across Europe, making works like this influential for subsequent generations of artists. Given the historical age and influence of these key Renaissance prints, many examples are now part of major museum collections, with high-quality copies often available in the public domain for study. This particular impression of The Man of Sorrows Seated is preserved in the expansive collection of European prints at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.