Originally Durer illustrated the Small Passion cycle with the text by Benedict Schwalbe (Benedict Chelidonious) who died in 1521.  Benedict was also a friend of Willibald Pirckheimer (who was Durer's life-long friend) and a Benedictine theologian from a nearby monastery.

The Small Passion cycle is Durer's longest series of woodcuts and the best known of his series during the sixteenth century.

The woodcuts were designed with a simpler, more direct treatment of subjects and were executed in a more uniform style.

Thirty-five of the wood blocks of the Small Passion cycle were acquired by the British Museum in 1839.  The frontispiece, The Man of Sorrows B. 16, M.125) is the only wood block that is not in existence,

This listing comes with a Certificate of Authenticity from Park West Gallery & Museum as well as an Appraisal dated 10/29/2020 valued at $20,900.

This irreplaceable piece of fine art history will be professionally package to arrive in its current undamaged condition.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

The woodcut, one of the earliest printmaking techniques, became popular in Europe around 1400.  Woodcuts are produced by carving an image into a block of wood, usually a hard fruitwood, cut parallel to its grain.  Only the lines and shapes of the drawn design are left standing in relief; all other areas of the wood are carefully excised with sharp woodworking tools, such as gouges, chisels and knives.  The amount of detail that Durer was able to achieve in images smaller than a postcard is phenomenal.  A viscous ink, which would in Durer's time have been composed of finely ground lampblack and oil, is applied to the raised surface by dabbing or by rolling with a brayer,  The image is then transferred onto a sheet of paper, either manually, by rubbing it against the inked surface of the block, or mechanically by the use of a printing press.  The image on the block appears in reverse on the page.

The difficulty of cutting the woodblock and the likelihood that the lines would break down with repeated printings meant that early woodcuts (like the one in this Ebay listing) were limited in edition size.  Albrecht Durer transformed woodblock printing through the use of fine, graceful lines, intricate details and subtle gradations, efforts that could only be achieved through skillful and precise carving.

Albrecht Durer, born in Nuremberg Germany, at the time part of the Holy Roman Empire.  He lived from 1471 to 1528.  He has been characterized as the 'media star' of the German Renaissance in the early 1500's.  It has long been common opinion that Durer is the greatest graphic artist in the history of Western art.  He is credited with 250 woodcuts, over 2000 drawings, more than 70 paintings and over 100 engravings.  Throughout his life, he traveled extensively including northern Europe as well as Italy.  In 1496 he first used his distinctive monogram signature; a stylized D nestling under a large letter 'A' that forms an archway over and around it.  This distinctive signature is present in most of Durer's works.  He is attributed with creating one of the first known brands with his monogram.

It was in 1513 - 1514 that Durer produced the three extraordinary engravings ('Knight, Death and Devil', 'Melencholia' & 'Saint Jerome in his Cell' which had a strong impact on the art world and came to be known as the Master Engravings.  A curiosity:  In 1515, Durer created a life-like image of a rhinoceros based only on a written description.  This picture is so powerfully realistic that is was used in science text books right up until the last century.  In the 1520's he was commissioned by Emporer, Charles V, as well as King Christian II of Denmark for royal portraits.  During this trip, he contracted an illness that seven years later would result in his death.  He is buried in the cemetery of the church of Saint John in Nuremberg.  Not having any children, he left a grand house and a conspicuous amount of money to his wife.  Durer had been among the ten richest citizens of Nuremberg thanks to his talent, traveled marketing efforts and the impact of print making at the time.