The Nativity

c. 1513

Albrecht Altdorfer

Associated Names
Albrecht Altdorfer

Artist, German, 1480 or before - 1538

This is a drawing of a scene with a group of figures gathered around a central figure, with a star illuminating from above. The scene shows a detailed composition where figures appear crowded under a sloped-roof structure, resembling a stable. The figures are drawn with lines suggesting movement and interaction. The star above casts light over the gathering. Each figure is delineated with fine lines and distinct postures, emphasizing the central gathering, while an arched doorway frames the left side of the scene.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of W.G. Russell Allen

  • Dimensions

    block: 7.2 × 4.9 cm (2 13/16 × 1 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 7.7 × 5.1 cm (3 1/16 × 2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.1.117

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. w. 9

  • Series Title

    The Fall and Redemption of Man

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Albertina, Vienna (duplicate, Lugt 5g). W.G. Russell Allen [1882-1955], Boston; gift to the NGA, 1941.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1963

  • Winzinger, Franz. Albrecht Altdorfer, Graphik: Holzschnitte, Kupferstiche, Radierungen. Munich: R.Piper and Co., 1963, no. 34.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Albrecht Aldorfer, Ursula Mielke, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. w. 9.

Wikidata ID

Q64952417

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