THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

London: Chiswick Press, 1844, first edition in English, later red half-leather binding by Bayntun-Rivere Bath England, gilt lettering and five raised bands to spine, marbled end papers, 20 x 14 cm, pp.93; complete and in Fine condition with no damage to binding or contents.

A masterpiece of German Renaissance art, Albrecht Dürer's Small Passion is a series of 36 woodcuts and a frontispiece, originally produced in 1511 as a set of works on Biblical themes and the life and Passion of Christ.  Its title distinguishes it from his earlier Great Passion, which had only 12 woodcuts.  This is one of the two finest "modern" editions of Dürer's great work, the other being the later and more common Bodoni issue of 1971, for which the illustrations were re-engraved.  This Chiswick printing also features the matching biblical text on the facing page for each engraving.

Thirty-five of these plates were printed from stereotype casts of the original woodblocks.  The remaining two were engraved by Thurston Thompson after original prints.  As noted in the preface, the project was overseen by Henry Cole (1808–1882), later curator of the Victoria and Albert Museum.  Cole believed this to be the fourth edition printed from the original plates, the first two having been done during Dürer's lifetime, the third a century later in Venice, then this 1844 production, made possible by the British Museum's acquisition in 1839 of the original 16th century woodblocks.  The 18-page preface examines Dürer's life, the provenance of this masterpiece, and the technical methodology used in creating the plates.  The latter involved a careful, multi-step process: making a damp plaster cast of each original woodblock, baking it until dry, and casting the final shape in metal. 

The 37 plates are:

 1. Frontispiece
 2. The Fall of Man
 3. Adam and Eve Driven forth from Paradise
 4. The Annunciation
 5. The Nativity
 6. The Entry into Jerusalem
 7. Driving the Money-changers out of the Temple
 8. The Last Supper
 9. Jesus Washing the Feet of his Disciples
10. Jesus Praying on the Mount of Olives
11. The Betrayal
12. Jesus Brought Before Annas
13. Jesus Before Caiphas
14. Mocked and Blindfolded
15. Conducted to Pilate
16. Jesus Before Herod
17. Jesus Scourged
18. Jesus Crowned with Thorns
19. Jesus Presented to the People
20. Jesus Led Away and Pilate Washing his Hands
21. Jesus Bearing his Cross
22. Jesus Nailed to the Cross
23. The Crucifixion
24. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross
25. The Body of Jesus Prepared for Burial
26. The Entombment
27. The Resurrection
28. Jesus Appearing to Mary Magdalene
29. The Supper at Emmaus
30. The Incredulity of St. Thomas
31. The Ascension
32. The Coming of the Holy Ghost
33. The Last Judgement
34. Jesus Parting from his Mother before his Sufferings
35. The Sudarium
36. The Descent into Hell
37. Jesus Appearing to his Mother after his Resurrection

In superb condition, this is an uncommon example in a fine binding by Bayntun-Rivere.

Ships from the United States.