Albrecht Dürer -The Lamentation - Ca. 1497

The Lamentation, in the foreground the dead Christ is lying on the ground, supported by St John, lamented by a group of women; the left background is the scene of the Crucifixion. c.1497-1500. Woodcut made by: Albrecht Dürer. Meder 122, b or c. With the crack along the left side of the woodcut already present in earlier states. Watermarked laid paper with on the backside the two inventory stamps by the famous Belgian print dealer Albert van Loock who was active in Brussels from 1949 on.
Dimensions: 39,50 x 28,50 cm Artist Name: Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) Literature: Meder 1932 / Dürer Katalog (122 b or c) ----- Bartsch / Le Peintre graveur (VII.117.13) ----- Dodgson 1903, 1911 / Catalogue of Early German and Flemish Woodcuts in the BM, 2 vols (I.274.20) ----- This stunning woodcut presents the emotional moment of St. John and the Virgin Mary surrounding Christ’s body following his Crucifixion. Their figures are arranged in a visually powerful pyramid and the dramatic tight arrangement of their clothes and limbs in the lower right endow them with a visceral sorrow, held in high contrast with the upper left corner which shows a far-away sparse place of the Crucifixion. Strauss describes the composition thus: “The scene of the Crucifixion has been moved to the far background, so that the eye may concentrate on the interlude after the Descent from the Cross and before the Entombment of Christ. This subject became especially popular in Germany in the sixteenth century… Although the more prominent figure on the top has usually been seen as the virgin, she is more likely to be the woman tenderly lifting Christ’s hand and bending over him.” (Strauss, p. 215) Medium: Woodcut Circa: 1497-1499 Notes: All measurements are taken on the plate mark. All lot's are listed with several high resolution images, which is the best way to give a clear and objective idea of the general very good condition. Textual condition description is limited, so please examine the images carefully and ask for more info if needed.

Condition: A good, slightly uneven printed impression on watermarked laid paper. Horizontal middle fold enforced by paper strip at left and right on the backside.