The Birth of the Virgin

c. 1490/1500

Israhel van Meckenem after Hans Holbein the Elder

Associated Names
Israhel van Meckenem

Artist, German, c. 1445 - 1503

Hans Holbein the Elder

Artist After, German, c. 1465 - 1524

This is a drawing of an interior scene with various figures engaged in domestic activities. The drawing showcases a room with a bed in the foreground, on which an infant is held by a seated figure. Several vessels are positioned near a wooden tub that rests on the ground. A figure stands adjacent to a table, appearing to pour liquid from a jug into another container. Beyond the figures, an architectural scene unfolds in the background with a couple engaging on a staircase that leads outside, hinting at an exterior with a fence and tree. The drawing is characterized by intricate line work and hatching that conveys texture and depth. This composition captures a moment of household activity, combining elements of care, domestic chores, and interaction.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate): 26.7 × 18.3 cm (10 1/2 × 7 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.106

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Lehrs, Vol. 9, p.054, no. 51, State only

  • Series Title

    The Life of the Virgin [Lehrs 50-61]

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

William Esdaile [1758-1837], London (Lugt 2617); (Charles Sessler, Philadelphia); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], 1929; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1949

  • Ten Centuries of Christian Art, Milwaukee Art Institute, WI, 1949, no catalogue.

1953

  • Nuremberg and the German World, 1460-1530: Prints and books from the Kress and Rosenwald Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1953, no catalogue.

1958

  • Life of Christ, Isaac Delgado Museum of Art, New Orleans, LA, 1958-1959, no catalogue.

1967

  • Fifteenth Century Engravings of Northern Europe from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., NGA, 1967-1968, no. 217, repro.

Bibliography

1908

  • Lehrs, Max. Geschichte und kritischer Katalog des deutschen, niederlandischen und franzosischen Kupferstichs im XV. Jahrhundert. 9 vols. and 1 plate vol. Vienna: Gesellschaft fur vervielfaltigende Kunst, 1908-1934.

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts ca. 1400-1700. 8 vols. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger, 1954-1868. Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700. Vols. I-XV, XVIII, XIX. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberge

1967

  • Shestack, Alan. Fifteenth Century Engravings of Northern Europe from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1967: no. 217.

Watermarks

Gothic P with flower (close to Lehrs 24)

Wikidata ID

Q64958466

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