From the time he was twenty-three until his death at fifty-seven, Albrecht Dürer worked on at least six different versions of Christ’s Passion.

While many Northern Renaissance artists addressed this subject at some point in their careers, Dürer’s insistent revisitation and reimagining of the events reveal the special attention and importance he accorded the Passion. That Dürer made Passion images is not surprising; that he made six versions is.

Because it spans his entire creative career, Dürer’s Passion work not only charts his changing attitudes toward these issues, it also provides a window onto his artistic development as a whole.

Compare here how Dürer treats 12 moments common to all the series:

Man of Sorrows Mocked by a Soldier

Last Supper

Agony in the Garden (Christ on the Mount of Olives)

Betrayal of Christ (Arrest of Christ)

Flagellation

Ecce Homo (Christ Presented to the People)

Bearing of the Cross

Crucifixion

Deposition

Entombment

Christ in Limbo (Harrowing of Hell), 1510

Resurrection, 1510