Undoubtedly the HAM startled me a great deal. I never imaged that a University Museum could have not only collected so many invaluable items, but also have done so well in its digitalization. What a distance other universities, both American and Chinese, lamented about between them and Harvard.
The object I chose as my blog content based upon many things. Firstly I put into the key word, Crusade, disappointingly the following shown objects were all intrigued me not so much. Then I changed my selected credential word into Jerusalem, then I had being overwhelmingly impressed by the enormousness of the collections presented here. No other collections grasped my eyes and my heart more strongly than the one I picked up to write about. This is a woodcut titled Entry into Jerusalem by Albrecht Durer.
Three foremost reasons made me decisively to stop here. The most important one is the woodcut itself. Though what I saw is only the print of the original woodcut, I could still feel the imposing power of it. The image of Jesus of Nazareth sitting upon donkey located at the center of the woodcut. It seemed that a halo shining around his head, and his right hands stretched forward. Was this style the God’s Hand? I was no so ascertained . The two guys to whom Jesus’s right hand pointed were standing at the gate of Jerusalem, one holding a piece of palm branches, and the other closed his two hands. What’s that mean I was very curious about? Just before the head of the donkey, there’s a old man who hold something in his hand. Was it a carpet upon which Jesus will touch the ground, I don’t know. At the left triple of the image, there stood two men, looked like his apostles, but their real identities were still waiting to figure out. There are many other details which also aroused my curiosity, but I would not describe them here. What I could say is that the halo which radiated around the head of Jesus struck me most, it not only enlivened this cold black and white woodcut, but also and more important gave meaning to this image. It represented the divinity of Jesus, and also the centrality of his story. God is Light through the redemption of his only son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The second reason was that I had put many thoughts upon this event during his Passion. Actually this woodcut I saw came from a serial by Durer named Passion. It’s general accepted that there’s adjective put before this title, that word was always the Triumphantly. But this woodcut lacked it. Why? The Triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem indeed had tremendous influences in his own life and profound lessens toward many lives after his. The beginning of the end led not to the end but to the beginning, a new beginning, through his crucifixion, his blood, his suffering, and ultimately his death. The unbearable agonies were waiting for Jesus after his entry. But we should always keep into our minds that the halo which was shining around his head, that’s the hope, a sweet and bitter hope for us all, that’s the light, warming and guiding light during the long night of despair and desperation.
Sometimes I just reflected upon what were the real circumstances and true attitudes when Godfred of Bouillon, Baldwin of Boulogne and Raymond of Toulouse attacked the wall of Jerusalem in 1099, What’s a big difference between their entries and Jesus’s. Jesus peacefully entered the Holy city upon a donkey, they violently laid their swords upon many innocents peoples, Muslims, Jews and even Christians alike. Was that reason the decisive and crucial one that made their fates eventually failed, and made the fate of the Kingdom of Jerusalem irrecoverably fallen after such a triumphantly beginning? I just don’t know and even don’t understand!
The third one, but not less important than the two told reasons, is that I am big fan to Mr. Durer. I bought his other two serials books, one was about Crusade, the other Inferno of Dante. Either of them were completely tantalizing and really amazing. Fortunately I visited Nuremberg his native town last December. But to disappointed me, our team boss had no such appetite to call upon Mr. Durer’s house. That stupid boss actually knew nothing about Mr. Durer and his famous woodcut serials, and maybe even the immortal name, Albrecht Durer.
Though the other woodcuts of Passion are not exhibited on the website, or they are there, but I had not discovered out them yet, this wonderful image had already aroused my huge interesting. So I wish that I should request to see the original woodcut which had been made on the early 16th century.
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