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A World in Conflict
9
Images for salvation (1)

The turn of the century brought with it a profound religious crisis. It was at this point that the religious image underwent a major transformation that can be summed up in Dürer's series of prints. The uncertainty of a world open to radical changes made these images, with their references to suffering and death, relevant to the faithful of the day. This section of the exhibition emphasises the role of the Virgin in Dürer's art. She is seen depicted in a wide variety of ways, such as her role as the mother of Christ, and in images that convey her different states of mind. This room also looks at the subject of the martyrdom of saints which gave rise to an iconography expressive of suffering, prayer as a means of salvation and purification, represented by Dürer through the subject of Christ on the Mount of Olives, and his various depictions of a real and human type of Christ. Among saints, Saint George merits particular mention as his associations with the world of knighthood and chivalry made him a favourite subject for printmakers, resulting in increased veneration of his cult. The Passion is an important theme in this section of the exhibition, with examples from Dürer's major print series as well as works by Lucas Cranach, Hans Burgkmair and Ulrich Apt the Elder.
Virgin and Child


Albrecht Dürer
Virgin and Child, 1503
Oil on panel. 24 x 18 cm
Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Gemäldegalerie
Virgin and Child Eating Grapes


Lucas Cranach, the Elder
Virgin and Child Eating Grapes, c. 1509-1510
Oil on panel. 71.5 x 44.2 cm
Madrid, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza
Christ blessing

Martin Schongauer
Christ blessing
Pen. 203 x 145 mm
Florence, Istituti Museali della Soprintendenza Speciale
per il Polo Museale Fiorentino, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi
The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine


Lucas Cranach, the Elder
The Martyrdom of Saint Catherine, c. 1505
Oil on panel. 112 x 95 cm
Budapest, Ráday Collections of the Hungarian Reformed Church
San Eustaquio


Albrecht Dürer
Saint Eustace, c. 1501
Engraving. 359 x 261 mm
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Rijksprentenkabinet
The Agony in the Garden


Albrecht Dürer
The Agony in the Garden, 1515
Pen. 296 x 221 mm
Vienna, Albertina

Saint George on Horseback

Albrecht Dürer
Saint George on Horseback, 1505-1508
Engraving. 106 x 83 mm
Braunschweig, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum,
Kunstmuseum des Landes Niedersachsen, Kupferstichkabinett