Artwork
The Life of the Virgin
The Life of the Virgin is a print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1510 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Life of the Virgin is a print series by Albrecht Dürer, with a frontispiece that reimagines traditional depictions of the Virgin Mary.
Subject & Meaning
The frontispiece combines multiple representations of Mary: the nursing Madonna, the Madonna of Humility, and the Virgin standing in a crescent moon, conveying her regal, motherly, and humble aspects.
Technique & Style
The image is a woodcut, a medium that allowed Dürer to densely pack symbolic elements into a compact format, making it portable.
Context
Dürer's representation draws on established devotional imagery, synthesizing various Mary iconographies into a single image.
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)
