The Man of Sorrows
Medium
hand-colored woodcut on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 9.9 × 7.2 cm (3 7/8 × 2 13/16 in.) sheet (irregular): 14 × 8.6 cm (5 1/2 × 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.806
Art Historical Context
Created around 1490 in the Netherlands or France, *The Man of Sorrows* is a delicate hand-colored woodcut that captures a deeply personal moment of Christian devotion. The image portrays Christ displaying his wounds, a traditional iconography designed to encourage meditation on his suffering and sacrifice. Measuring just under four inches tall, this intimate print was likely intended for private prayer rather than public display. Woodcuts like this one represent an important turning point in art history. As one of the earliest forms of printed imagery, they allowed religious subjects to reach...