the large calvary

Article description

Original woodcut, printed from four woodblocks on laid paper. 2nd state probaly around 1550 printed This is the so-called copy of the large calvary (Der große Berliner Kalvarienberg), a very rare and early woodcut, which is printed from four woodcut blocks. This much discussed large woodcut exists only in eight copies all in public institutions. The original version of it is only known in two copies: in Berlin (Kupferstichkabinett) and in London (British Library). With our example now eleven woodcuts of the large calvary are known. We have compared our copy with the example in the Berliner Kupferstichkabinett and learned that our example must be slightly earlier printed then the one in Berlin. This could be defined clearly by comparing the eruptions in the wood. But none of these 8 known copies do have as our copy an additional monogram: „HS" in the lower right side. The monogram is either cut into the woodblock or was stamped into that gap. This monogram in our woodcut not mentioned in any bibliography or descriptive text about the large calvary. It is looking very similar to the monograms, which Hans Schäufelein was using, who did his apprenticeship in Dürer's worksshop. There is also a „Hans Schwarz" known, the 2nd husband of Hans Schäufelein's widow. Many questions are still open on the authorship of the large calvary, maybe the work could also be attributed to Hans Schäufellein. The authorship and attribution to Albrecht Dürer and the dating of this woodcut is still uncertain, although the woodcut shows several Dürerian motifs, but many extraneous elements speak against an undivided authorship. The design of the woodcut can be dated to the time before Albrecht Dürer's first stay in Venice. Provenance: The woodcut was acquired in the mid 1980's and it was kept in a private collection. The woodcut was backed on thick paper. This was lately perfect removed and we discovered now an old collector's stamp on the reverse in the lower left corner. The laid paper does not show any watermark. We were also able to identify the collector's stamp and can thus close a small gap in the origin story of the woodcut. Lugt 1008 (H. FÜSSLI & Cie, oder FALKEISEN & HUBER.)

Meder p. 159, copy 2nd state; Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum A 7, copy 2nd state. Verso lower left corner with old collector' mark: Falkeisen & Huber (Lugt 1008).