The Great Landscape with the Water Mill

c. 1520

Albrecht Altdorfer

Associated Names
Albrecht Altdorfer

Artist, German, 1480 or before - 1538

The image depicts a village surrounded by mountains. It is viewed from a slightly elevated position, showing the landscape with distant mountain peaks along the horizon. The mountains appear lightly sketched, providing depth to the scene. Detailed linework showcases the foliage and trees in the foreground. The village is portrayed with clustered buildings, towers, and a church, all defined by fine lines that suggest architectural features. The monochrome color palette focuses on the contrast between ink and paper to create a serene atmosphere.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching with traces of light gray and yellow watercolor on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed within plate mark): 17.6 x 23.6 cm (6 15/16 x 9 5/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1978.74.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    New Hollstein, no. e. 92, State only

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(P. & D. Colnaghi, London); purchased by the NGA, 1978.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1979

  • Early German Drawings & Prints: Two Recent Acquisitions and Related Works, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1979, no. 28.

Bibliography

1949

  • Hollstein, vol.1, p.222, no.92.

1963

  • Winzinger, Franz. Albrecht Altdorfer, Graphik: Holzschnitte, Kupferstiche, Radierungen. Munich: R.Piper and Co., 1963, no. 183.

1993

  • Wood, Christopher S. Albrecht Altdorfer and the Origins of Landscape. London, 1993: fig. 240.

1996

  • The New Hollstein German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, 1400-1700. (Albrecht Aldorfer, Ursula Mielke, author). Rotterdam: Sound & Vision Interactive, 1996-, no. e. 92, state only.

Inscriptions

upper left in plate in monogram: AA

Watermarks

Goblet (Winzinger watermark # 11)

Wikidata ID

Q65564463

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