Madonna by the Wall
1514
16th century
14.8 cm x 10.1 cm (5 13/16 in. x 4 in.)
Albrecht Dürer
(Nuremberg, Germany, 1471 - 1528, Nuremberg, Germany)
Primary
Object Type:
print
Artist Nationality:
Europe, German
Medium and Support:
Engraving
Credit Line:
Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Purchase through the generosity of M.K. Hage, Jr., Susan Thomas, and Jo Alice Tomforde, 1995
Accession Number:
1995.113
Object Description:
In this engraving, the instability that characterizes the Virgin and Child with the Pear gives way to a sense of monumentality and repose created by the group’s regular, triangular composition and centeral positioning. Whereas Dürer employed mostly long, parallel hatchings to describe the earlier Virgin and Child, in this engraving he uses a diverse combination of strokes to suggest a warm fall of light and a wide variety of textures. Most notable is the artist’s ability to render the Virgin’s luminous silk mantle resting over her knee.