Christus neemt afscheid van zijn moeder 1510 - 1515

Marcantonio Raimondi created this engraving, "Christus neemt afscheid van zijn moeder," sometime between 1475 and 1534. The scene depicts Christ's farewell to his mother before his crucifixion, rendered in the detailed style characteristic of the Italian Renaissance. The image operates through a series of visual and cultural codes familiar to its 16th-century audience. The setting, with its imposing architecture, roots the scene in a specific time and place, likely referencing contemporary Italian cityscapes. Raimondi, working in a period marked by religious upheaval, employs a traditional subject to reaffirm established religious and social hierarchies. The emotional intensity of Mary’s grief, supported by the other women, serves to emphasize the humanity of Christ and the solemnity of his sacrifice. Understanding this print fully requires considering its place within the history of printmaking, the rise of the art market, and the religious context of the Renaissance. These are the kinds of historical factors we might explore through further research.