Christ Carrying the Cross, from the Circular Passion 1509

Lucas van Leyden created this engraving of Christ Carrying the Cross on a copper plate in the Netherlands. The print shows Christ stumbling under the weight of the cross while being whipped by soldiers, while his followers look on in anguish. The work was created during the Reformation, a period when artists like van Leyden had to carefully consider their public role. The Catholic Church was the dominant institution of art patronage, but its authority was under threat from new forms of Protestant Christianity. Artists had to be careful not to offend the Church, but also had to be aware of the growing popularity of Protestant ideas. By depicting the suffering of Christ, van Leyden's print speaks to this context. Historians use a variety of sources to understand art such as this. Contemporary religious texts, economic data, and social histories of the Netherlands all help to illuminate the conditions under which this print was made and viewed.