Christ Taking Leave of His Mother 

At the beginning of the 16th century, the art of woodcut flourished in Germany. An artist would draw the image, and a professional block cutter would engrave it into the surface of a pear wood block along the grain. The story of Christ was a common motif. This print shows Christ saying goodbye to his mother as he leaves for Jerusalem where he anticipates he will die. This story was not in the Bible, but appeared in 13th century Christian literature. Traut was an artist working in Nuremberg, a center of arts and crafts in southern Germany. He made reference to the work of his famous fellow Nuremberg-native Albrecht Dürer, but his milder style made him popular. The work shows Christ leaning forward to hold Mary’s right hand gently with his hands, while she hangs on his sleeve. The large dead tree in the background foretells his fate of being hung on the cross.
(NAKAMURA Naoaki)