The Holy Family with Joachim and Anne under a Tree

1511

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

The image displays a detailed black and white illustration of four figures and a baby. The central focus is on a seated woman holding a baby, with the child's legs being supported by another woman seated beside her. The woman's face is visible, featuring smooth facial features and medium-length hair styled with a headband. She wears a garment with detailed draping, possibly a dress, with some kind of embellishment near the neck. To her left, another woman is bending forward, partially holding the baby, and has her head covered with a headscarf, showing an aged face with prominent features. Behind them, two standing figures are visible; one is an older man with curly hair and a beard, wearing a cloak or robe, leaning slightly to observe the baby. The other is a woman with her head and most of her face covered, holding a string of beads or rosary and possibly wearing layered clothing with a visible belt. The background suggests an outdoor scene with a tall, sturdy tree in the middle, surrounded by sparse foliage and trees, alongside a building with visible windows at the right edge. The artwork is finely detailed with an intricate appearance typical of woodcut or engraving. Above, the image includes a date, 1511, and a monogram.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 24 × 16.5 cm (9 7/16 × 6 1/2 in.)
    block: 23.3 × 15.7 cm (9 3/16 × 6 3/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3677

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 215


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Fuerstlich Waldburg Kupferstichkabinett, Wolfegg and Wurtemberg (Lugt 2542); Marsden Jasael Perry [1850-1935], Providence (Lugt 1880); (sale, C.G. Boerner, Leipzig, 10 May 1929, no. 409; purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d), 1929; gift to NGA, 1943.

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: no. 215.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 2: no. 226.

Inscriptions

in block, top left: 1511 / AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower center, in graphite by a later hand: B.96; verso, lower center, in graphite by a later hand: D. 119; verso, lower right, in graphite by a later hand: 409 [encircled]

Watermarks

bull's head

Wikidata ID

Q18339736

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