Artwork
Joachim and the Angel
Joachim and the Angel is a print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1504 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut “Joachim and the Angel” is one of the early plates in his narrative series illustrating the events that precede the birth of the Virgin Mary. Executed in the early 16th century, the print captures the moment when an angel announces to the aged Joachim that his wife will conceive, a scene drawn from a non‑canonical legend.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts Joachim, an elderly man, kneeling on a stony landscape while a celestial messenger hovers above, hand raised in benediction. The angel’s presence conveys divine intervention in response to Joachim’s long‑standing childlessness, reflecting themes of hope and providence that were popular in medieval devotional literature.
Technique & Style
Carved from a single wood block, the composition relies on crisp, intersecting lines to delineate figure, foliage and distant sheep. Dürer’s meticulous attention to the feathered wings demonstrates his mastery of fine detail, while the stark contrasts between light and shadow enhance the spiritual atmosphere of the encounter.
History & Provenance
The print belongs to Dürer’s series numbered 1959.99.2‑4, produced around 1503‑1504. It was circulated as part of a devotional booklet and later entered museum collections, where it has been documented in several catalogues of the artist’s print oeuvre.
Context
The narrative derives from an apocryphal account of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of Mary, which was widely read in the late medieval period. By visualizing this episode, Dürer contributed to the broader visual culture that sought to fill gaps in the canonical Gospel stories with popular legends.
Artist & collection
Artist
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
![Madonna and Child [obverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--madonna-and-child-obverse--d7b8ebf05d22ebe5-w320.webp)
![Lot and His Daughters [reverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--lot-and-his-daughters-reverse--b4ebf9b282faa17a-w320.webp)
