47 HANS SCHAUFELEIN German, 1480/85­1539 Christ Taking Leave of His Mother Pen and dark­brown ink over traces of black chalk 27.5 x 21.2 cm (10 13/16 x 8 5/16 in.) Cat. I, no. 134; 85.GA.438 A painter and designer of woodcut illustrations, Schaufelein worked in Durer's atelier in Nuremberg from 1503/4 to 1516/17. He often accompanied his initials by a drawing of a Schaufelein (little shovel—the meaning of his name) as in this drawing, signed and dated 1510. The New Testament does not include the incident of Christ taking leave of his mother; its literary sources are found in late medieval devotional writings. As the story goes, the Virgin, accompanied by Mary Magdalene and Martha, begged her son not to leave Bethany for Jerusalem, where he would be betrayed and eventually crucified. Replying that he must go in order to save humanity, Christ gave his mother his blessing as he departed, telling her that she would be enthroned with him in heaven. Schaufelein depicts the moment of benediction, placing the event in front of a rustic wooden city gate. To Christ's right the crowds make their way to Jerusalem for Passover. At the center of the drawing is a feature unusual for this scene: a Gothic church, which may refer to the Virgin Mary. Since the Middle Ages, the church was thought to be the Virgin's physical embodiment on earth. Such symbolism would mean that the image points hopefully beyond the sorrow of the Passion to the founding of the Church. 60 GERMAN AND SWISS SCHOOLS