Artwork
Madonna with the Siskin
Madonna with the Siskin is an oil painting by the High Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1506 and is held in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie Berlin.
About this work
Overview
Albrecht Dürer’s *Madonna with the Siskin* is an oil painting on panel completed in 1506. The work measures roughly 50 × 35 cm and is part of the collection of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin. It belongs to the period of Dürer’s early mature output, when he was integrating Italian Renaissance ideas into his Northern artistic language.
Subject & Meaning
The composition shows a seated woman in a blue robe cradling a naked infant, who reaches toward a small finch perched on her arm. Above them hover three cherubic figures: one winged, one holding a scroll, and a third peering from the side. The bird, a siskine, functions as a symbolic element often associated with the soul or the Holy Spirit in devotional imagery.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil, Dürer employs a refined chiaroscuro that models the figures with subtle gradations of light and shadow, creating a three‑dimensional presence.
Executed in oil, Dürer employs a refined chiaroscuro that models the figures with subtle gradations of light and shadow, creating a three‑dimensional presence. The finch’s plumage is rendered with meticulous brushwork, giving the bird a lifelike texture. The background combines a red drapery, a distant garden, and a ruined stone bridge, all treated with the balanced perspective characteristic of High Renaissance composition.
History & Provenance
After its creation, the painting entered a series of private collections in Germany before being acquired by the Berlin State Museums in the early 20th century. It has remained in the Gemäldegalerie’s holdings since, where it is displayed among other works that illustrate Dürer’s engagement with Italian art.
Context
The work reflects Dürer’s exposure to Italian masters such as Giovanni Bellini, whose influence is evident in the softened modeling and harmonious color palette. Painted shortly after Dürer’s second trip to Italy, the piece demonstrates his effort to merge Northern detail with the spatial clarity and idealized forms of the High Renaissance.
Own this work as a print
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)
