The Holy Family with Two Music-Making Angels

1511

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

The image is a woodcut artwork depicting eight people gathered closely together outdoors amongst trees. In the center, a seated woman holds a swaddled infant, while another woman next to her tends to the child. Surrounding them are bearded men in robes and head coverings of the era. Some individuals are standing, while others lean in towards the central figures, gesturing with their hands. Two small children play at their feet. The scene is set against a backdrop of trees with intricate bark, foliage, and a rolling hill in the distance. The number "1511" is inscribed at the top. The composition is detailed with cross-hatching and line work for texture and depth.

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): 21 × 21 cm (8 1/4 × 8 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.1.37

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 216


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

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. 227.

Watermarks

bear (Meder 89)

Wikidata ID

Q18339740

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