Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528).
The Birth Of The Virgin
c1503/18th century
impression. Woodcut, monogrammed in plate lower centre, 29.4 x 20.9cm. Missing portion
to upper left edge, minor stains, tipped to old backing.
From Dürer’s
series The Life of the Virgin. Ref:Knappe #230. Held in The Met,
NY. Ref Item #CL184-4
An angel swinging a censer hovers above a lively and rich composition.
In the background, the mother of the Virgin lies in bed, revealed by a parted
curtain. The foreground however is typical of a birth scene, with female
figures standing, sitting, drinking and conversing. At the bottom right a maid
cradles the Virgin child in her arms, about to bathe it in a small tub.
Multiple views, recesses, projections and windows add spatial interest and
variety.
Dürer executed The Life of the Virgin over several years, but initially
seems not to have conceived of it as a group. It was probably only after
creating a few of the images that he thought of publishing the whole series,
comprising 19 plates with the title frontispiece.
The series places the Virgin in settings both earthly and divine,
revealing her holy status marked by God, as well as her human qualities and
frailties. All the images demonstrate superb cutting and mastery of line and
are set within Dürer’s distinctly northern landscape.
Ref -City of Leicester collection
Price (AUD): $4900
Price (AUD): 4900
Price (AUD): $4900
