The Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple

c. 1502/1503

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of an architectural scene with multiple figures in elaborate attire. The drawing features grand arches, columns, and canopied structures. In the foreground, there is a table with coins, a basket of fruit, and a sleeping animal at the base of the columns. The figures are engaged in various activities across different levels of the architecture, with some standing on a balcony. The background opens to a landscape view, adding depth to the composition. The line work and stylized depiction suggest a meticulous and narrative-driven composition typical of works during the Northern Renaissance.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of W.G. Russell Allen

  • Dimensions

    block: 29.4 × 20.9 cm (11 9/16 × 8 1/4 in.)
    sheet: 29.5 × 21.2 cm (11 5/8 × 8 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.1.31

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 193

  • Series Title

    The Life of the Virgin

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Jacob Heinrich von Hefner Alteneck [1811-1903], Munich (Lugt 1254). Wiliam Goodwin Russell Allen [1882-1955], Boston; gift to NGA, 1941.

Associated Names

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. 171.

Wikidata ID

Q18338564

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