Christ as the Man of Sorrows

While the series represents the events of Christ's final days on earth, Dürer included additional images not drawn from the story of Christ's life that were meant to inspire devotion and religious contemplation. The Man of Sorrows is one of these, and most certainly served as the frontispiece for the engraved series. The specific subject is not historical and is not taken from the text of the Gospels. It may refer to scenes from Passion plays or other forms of popular piety that were widespread during Dürer's lifetime.

In this work, the physical evidence of Christ’s suffering is emphasized by the crown of thorns, the tools of his flagellation, his wounds from the crucifixion, and blood flowing from his side onto the faithful.