2-725-964 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Christ Taking Leave of His Mother, c. 1504-1505. These two woodcuts (1959.99.16-17) feature events that overlap in both Mary’s and Jesus’s lives. The first is a scene in which Mary finds Jesus, after days of searching, speaking from behind a lectern to the temple’s elders. The second refers to the the moment Mary was forced to say goodbye to her son as he leaves for Jerusalem and ultimately on to the events of his Passion. This print represents the most sorrowful episode of the series as Mary kneels, beseeching Jesus to stay.