Lot 1059
1059
DÜRER, Albrecht (1471-1528). ("The Small Passion"). N.d., 16th c. Series of 36 woodcuts, each approx. 127 x 100 mm. Sm-4°. Old vellum w. burgundy cf. label ("Dürer Petite Passion"). (Without frontispiece, vellum a bit soiled/stained, lower blank outer corner first plate rep., 1 plate laid down, blank margin plate 5 stained, slightly foxed/thumbed in places).
By the 1500s, Albrecht Dürer had turned his hand from oils to printmaking. Cheap to produce and easily distributed, the woodcut lent itself to popular imagery that could be disseminated throughout the masses. Dürer’s first major project, and today his most celebrated, was the 'Small Passion', a suite of 36 images depicting the final days of Christ’s life, beginning with the traditional fall of Adam and Eve. First published as a complete set in 1511, the series became a huge success, prompting widespread distribution throughout pre-Lutheran Germany and propelling Dürer’s reputation. Watermark: coat of arms of Kaufbeuren (Germany), to be dated between 1544 and 1583. One of the editions with no text on the v° sides (the so-called 'C-group'). - Bartsch 17-52; Meder 126-161.€ 5000
result € 13000
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