Albrecht Dürer was one of the most important artists of the German Renaissance. He was a painter, draughtsman and master of printmaking, best known for his exquisite woodcuts and engravings. Dürer combined the craftsmanship of the Northern European tradition with the new ideas of the Italian Renaissance. His work is characterised by an exceptional eye for detail, naturalism and symbolism. Through his innovative prints, he brought art to a wider audience and became one of the most influential artists of his time.
In this beautiful woodcut from the series The Life of the Virgin, Albrecht Dürer depicts the birth of Mary as an intimate scene of everyday life. While her mother, Saint Anne, rests in a canopied bed after giving birth, midwives and other women attend to the newborn Mary. In the foreground, the infant is being bathed in a wooden tub. Above the scene, an angel swings a censer, symbolising the special and sacred significance of this birth. Dürer combines a detailed depiction of a sixteenth-century interior with an impressive sense of perspective and keen observation of human life.
- Image: A woodcut depicting the birth of the Virgin Mary (Bartsch 82; Meder 191; Hollstein 191). The story is not included in the Bible but originates from apocryphal writings. Artists often depicted the scene as an intimate, domestic event, with Anna resting in bed while women tend to her, and the newborn Mary being washed and surrounded by caring hands. The subject symbolizes new life, hope, and the special role that Mary will play in Christian tradition.
- The watermark bearing the letter ‘M’ is characteristic of sixteenth-century prints and, together with the absence of text on the reverse, indicates that this is an authentic impression from Dürer’s original woodblock, printed after his death.
- Year: ca. 1575
- quality: good
- signed: printed in plate
- picture dimensions: 30.1 x 21.2 cm | 11.9 x 8.3 in (h x w)
- dimensions of the frame: 43.3 x 33.8 cm | 17.0 x 13.3 in (h x w)
