Christ as the Man of Sorrows

Bearing the marks of martyrdom and holding the instruments used to scourge him in his hands, a pensive, exhausted man crouches before us and looks straight at us, questioningly. This is an unusual mixture of a concrete moment in time and a summary of the entire Passion of Jesus. With the living figure of Christ and the expressive look on his face, this work testifies to the perceptiveness of the young Dürer. By inviting believers in a special way to immerse themselves compassionately in the man’s suffering, the small format painting shows itself to be an exceptional devotional picture.