[DÜRER, Albrecht]

£19,500 · Offered by Sokol Books

Lovely collection of woodcuts excellently copied from probably the most famous engraver of the Renaissance, Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). Born in Nuremberg, Dürer initially found fame as a painter, later turning to woodcut production. This collection contains a Christ despondent on the title page, followed by 36 exquisite full page woodcuts showing Dürer s Small Passion ; a portable devotional book illustrating the narrative of Christ s passion. The passions depict the physical and spiritual suffering of Christ in the last days of his life on earth. The portable and reproduceable format of woodcut prints meant that the Church could distribute them to the largely illiterate population, and this series established Dürer s reputation amongst all classes in Europe. This complete series was produced by the enigmatic artist Johann Mommard (1560-1631) around 1587, the differences to Dürer s originals only discernible through intensive comparison. The copies are painstakingly modelled on each line carved by Dürer and are a testament to the immense skill and attention to detail Mommard put into the work. This printing is without the Latin text to the versos and is presenting in a slightly different order to Dürer s. Mommard s deceptive copies are very collectible in their own right, and richly pay homage to the originals (See British Museum no. 1834,0712.3). The Small Passion cycle was begun after Dürer s second visit to Italy, around 1505-7. It commences with the hugely famous

• Binding: Hardcover

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