Christ Carrying the Cross

Christ Carrying the Cross

Martin Schongauer

Details

Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 3/8 × 16 7/8 in. (28.9 × 42.9 cm)
Department
Drawings and Prints
Holding institution
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Purchase, The Sylmaris Collection, Gift of George Coe Graves, by exchange, 1935

Art Genome Taxonomy

12 tags

Subject Matter

  • Bible Story Both · 99%

    The catalog identifies the subject as Christ Bearing the Cross, and the image visibly depicts Christ carrying a large cross through a populated landscape.

  • Christ is named in the catalog and appears as the central sacred figure beneath the cross.

  • Human Figure Visual · 99%

    Numerous human figures, including soldiers, attendants, mounted figures, and onlookers, occupy nearly the entire composition.

  • Crowds Visual · 98%

    A tightly packed procession of figures and animals creates a clearly crowded scene.

  • Animals Both · 99%

    Horses and dogs are clearly visible, and both are explicitly listed among the museum’s catalog subjects.

  • Narrative Both · 97%

    The title and subject listing identify a specific religious episode, while the image presents an unfolding action centered on Christ bearing the cross.

Visual Qualities

  • Dense Composition Visual · 99%

    Figures, animals, weapons, the cross, rocky terrain, and distant architecture are densely distributed across the horizontal sheet with little unused pictorial space.

  • Highly Detailed Visual · 99%

    Fine, controlled lines describe armor, costumes, facial features, horse tack, animals, rocks, foliage, and distant buildings throughout the image.

Medium and Techniques

  • Etching/Engraving Metadata · 99%

    The museum identifies the medium as engraving.

  • Prints Metadata · 99%

    The museum classifies the work as a print and places it in the Department of Drawings and Prints.

Time Periods

  • 15th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The catalog dates the work circa 1475–80, placing it in the fifteenth century.

Geographic Regions

  • German Art Metadata · 95%

    The artist display identifies Martin Schongauer as German.

Source & rights

Martin Schongauer. Christ Carrying the Cross. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.