The Adoration of the Magi

c. 1501/1503

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of a nativity scene. The artwork shows a detailed depiction of the scene, with a central structure resembling a stable supported by wooden beams, surrounded by brick arches and walls. A figure rides a horse to the left, and a distant landscape is visible in the background. Celestial beings are shown above, and various figures are gathered around a central scene inside the building. A radiant star shines in the upper background, illuminating the scene. The drawing features intricate textures and patterns, enriching its overall look.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of W.G. Russell Allen

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 29.8 × 21 cm (11 3/4 × 8 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.1.35

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 199

  • Series Title

    The Life of the Virgin

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

acquired 1858 by Wilhelm Koller [d. 1871], Vienna (Lugt 1583). Vincent Mayer [1831-1918], New York (Lugt 2525). 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. 177

Inscriptions

verso, lower center, in graphite by a later hand: [indecipherable / Av.22845 / gD; lower right, in brown ink by W. Koller: Herrlichen Druck mit Papier zeichen des Ochenkopf / aukt [?]. Weigel 1858. W. Koller; bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: B. 87; bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: B-35 [upside down]; bottom right, in graphite by a later hand: B. 87

Watermarks

bull's head

Wikidata ID

Q18338569

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