The Crucifixion, from The Passion (copy) 1485 - 1600

Albrecht Durer created this copy of "The Crucifixion, from The Passion" as a print. This image gives form to a pivotal event in Christian theology. But consider also the time and place of its making: Germany at the start of the 16th century, a society being reshaped by new technologies of printing and communication, but also intense religious dispute. Durer brings the defining event of the Catholic faith to the printed page, making it newly accessible. This was a period of intense debate about the nature of religious imagery, iconoclasm, and the politics of the church. Religious imagery was no longer the preserve of the church. The historian considers how the creation and circulation of an image like this intersected with the crises of the Reformation. To do so, we can examine archives and libraries to better understand how the image was produced, distributed, and interpreted in its own time.