Nigel Ip

On paper, the Gothic Revival interior of Strawberry Hill House may seem like an unusual setting for a double exhibition of prints by Albrecht Dürer and Christiane Baumgartner, but it sort of works.

Coming from the Schroder Collection and having been exhibited earlier this year at the Holburne Museum, Bath, the major part examines the widespread impact of printed books and woodcut illustrations in Dürer’s time, set in Horace Walpole’s exquisitely designed library. They were almost all acquired in 1917 by Baron Bruno Schroder and his wife Emma from the library of Charles Fairfax Murray; the couple were devout Lutherans.

The Nuremberg Chronicle introduces the theme of lavish publications designed to spread knowledge of faraway lands, such as Melchior Lorck’s Turkish Publication. Other projects like Emperor Maximilian I’s Der Weiss Kunig (The White King) sought to spread propaganda and his self-constructed image via masterful illustrations by Hans Burgkmair and Leonhard Beck, etc.

A complete set of the Great Passion (or Large Passion) reveals how Dürer drastically transitioned from homely Germanic forms to newfound Italian ones; parts of the series were completed before and after his second trip to Italy (1505-07). He also began to test his woodcarving skills by employing cross-hatching.

Downstairs, a smaller display examines how Martin Luther’s Bible radically departed from conventional treatments by offering a more accurate and accessible translation of the Old and New Testaments easily read by the German masses, and providing illustrations that were more faithful to their literal descriptions. The New Testament was first published in 1522 and the complete Bible with Apocrypha in 1534.

Meanwhile, the Baumgartner woodcuts get a separate showcase in the Great North Bedchamber. As a German printmaker herself, her large woodcuts derive from video stills, both exploring the passing of time and continuation of the world’s oldest printmaking technique. Some of her nature-inspired pieces resonate well with the setting of Walpole’s residence, once surrounded by forests and greenery with a view of the Thames.

Although not in direct dialogue, the dual exhibition illustrates the power and appeal of the woodcut technique, in its simple reproducibility, capacity for stylistic innovation, and technical challenges. Furthermore, they embody Walpole’s thirst for knowledge via his famous, sadly dispersed collection. It’s a good time to visit one of London’s best-loved secrets.

The Devil is in the Detail: Dürer’s Great Passion and Early Woodcuts from the Schroder Collection & Christiane Baumgartner. There Goes the Sun runs from 15 October 2023 to 10 April 2024 at Strawberry Hill House & Garden, Twickenham, https://www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk/