One of the Seven Falls of Christ (Schr. 645) 15th century

Curator: This engaging print, dating back to the 15th century, is titled "One of the Seven Falls of Christ (Schr. 645)" and is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection. Editor: The first thing I notice is the medium – it appears to be a drawing or print with colored-pencil embellishments. The mood it evokes is really powerful, heavy with despair and cruelty. It feels quite raw, despite the obvious stylization of the figures. Curator: Indeed, the materials speak volumes, don't they? We see the economical use of colored pencil highlights. Given the era, think of the labor, the expense of producing these materials in order to produce the image and circulate it in society at the time, and it reveals that this artist wanted to highlight and underscore what a devastating thing to see that might evoke emotional response among its audiences. Editor: Exactly! Considering the context – the late medieval period – we see that this image as a piece of propaganda or instruction. How can that kind of violence inform public morals or shape religious experience for the consumers who viewed it? The act of printing, disseminating copies… it's such a contrast to the sacredness it depicts. Curator: It’s as if the very method of its creation undermines the pathos it aims to inspire. There’s a rawness, isn't it, to the figure, the colors roughly applied. The artist seems focused on conveying the violence and emotional core, that really emphasizes the experience Christ might have felt in that moment rather than idealizing his image. Editor: I agree! And you wonder who controlled access to such images? What conversations did these prints ignite, in homes, in churches? I can only imagine… Curator: Ultimately, its survival is evidence of humanity's enduring struggle with power, belief, and suffering. It is indeed devastating. Editor: And that's what makes it so vital—that capacity to unsettle, and ask questions of a very physical world.