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Daniel Hopfer, I

Jesus Christ Parting from the Virgin to go and Suffer Death

1505/36; printed 1682/1709
Etching in black on cream laid paper
28.7 × 21.7 cm (11.3 × 8.5 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

While artists often portrayed the Virgin lamenting her son’s suffering in Passion cycles, Daniel Hopfer I’s visionary image depicts the Virgin sobbing before Christ’s betrayal, scourging, and crucifixion. Knowing her son will die a gruesome death, she feels physical pain at his departure. Hopfer literally depicted the Virgin’s heart-wrenching pain as the hilt of a sword projecting from her chest. This rugged etching pitilessly shows an aged Virgin clinging to her grown son as tears roll down her face.

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