Minneapolis Institute of Art

Sudarium Displayed by Two Angels

Albrecht Dürer

Date

1513

Medium

Engraving

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer was a legend in his own time. His prints, marked with his famous AD monogram, were known in every corner of Europe, and his virtuoso technical skill has never been equaled. We can trace only part of the journey of this magnificent engraving since it left Dürer's studio in Nuremberg in 1513. Collector's marks on back of the print indicate it was in the Netherlands in the 17th century, England in the late 19th, and Portland, Oregon, in the early 20th. It arrived in Minneapolis in 1916. Scholars have noted that the face of Christ closely resembles Dürer's own; the intensity and sadness of his gaze are remarkable, even at this tiny scale. Dürer, who would become a Protestant sympathizer, executed this print just four years before Martin Luther posted his 95 theses in 1517, critiquing, among many things, the practice of granting indulgences for praying to images like the sudarium. Germany

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