Curator

  • Art Institute Chicago
  • Harvard art museum
  • My Exhibition
A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.

The Road To Calvary

1485-91

Martin Schongauer German, c. 1430/50-1491

Germany

This print imagines the chaotic march to the site of the Crucifixion. Surrounded by a crowd of tormenters, Jesus stares out at the viewer, collapsed under the weight of the instrument of his death, the cross. Martin Schongauer, the most influential engraver prior to Albrecht Dürer (whose work can be seen nearby), brought unprecedented detail and tonal variety to the medium. At the time of its making, this was also one of the largest engravings ever produced. Its widespread impact is attested by numerous copies and imitations in later decades.

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Prints and Drawings