Christ Taking Leave from His Mother

c. 1504/1505

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

The image shows four individuals from head to toe. The figure on the right is a bearded man in long robes, extending one hand as if speaking. He has long, curly hair. To the left, a seated woman leans on another standing woman. The standing woman wears a gown with a fitted bodice and wrapped headdress, looking towards the bearded man. Behind them, another person is partially obscured, also wearing garments with a head covering. The background displays a cityscape with detailed architecture, including buildings with towers and domed roofs against a hilly landscape. A large, bare tree is on the right, and a winding road or pathway adds depth to the composition.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to image): 29.8 × 21.1 cm (11 3/4 × 8 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3591

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 204

  • Series Title

    The Life of the Virgin

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Arkady Alferoff [1811-1872], Bonn (Lugt 1727). Clendenin J. Ryan, Sr. [1881-1939], New York; (his sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 17 January 1940, no. 105); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d); gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1960

  • Graphic Masterpieces of 500 Years from the National Gallery of Art Rosenwald Collection, Louisiana State University Library, Baton Rouge, 1960, no. 6.

1971

  • Dürer in America: His Graphic Work, NGA, 1971, no. 151, repro.

2014

  • Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea, National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, 2014-2015.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 2: no. 182.

Wikidata ID

Q18338575

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