Who painted Annunciation to Joachim?

Annunciation to Joachim was painted by Albrecht Altdorfer in 1513.

Where can I see Annunciation to Joachim?

Annunciation to Joachim is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Annunciation to Joachim?

Annunciation to Joachim is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Annunciation to Joachim

Albrecht Altdorfer , 1513

Annunciation to Joachim is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Altdorfer. It dates from 1513 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created around 1513, this woodcut on laid paper illustrates the biblical moment when an angel announces to Joachim that his wife will bear a child.

Created around 1513, this woodcut on laid paper illustrates the biblical moment when an angel announces to Joachim that his wife will bear a child. The composition places the central figure, a standing man with uplifted arms, among a flock of sheep, while the messenger angel hovers above, wings outstretched. A gently rolling landscape and cloud‑filled sky form the backdrop, lending the scene a sense of spatial depth.

Subject & Meaning

The print visualizes the Annunciation to Joachim, a pre‑Christological episode that foreshadows the birth of the Virgin Mary. The angel’s delivery of a small object symbolizes the divine promise, while the shepherds and sheep emphasize themes of fertility and divine providence within a pastoral setting.

Technique & Style

Executed as a woodcut, the image relies on bold, incised lines that define both figures and terrain. Altdorfer’s characteristic attention to natural detail appears in the rendered hills and cloud formations, while the expressive gestures of the characters convey movement and emotional intensity, hallmarks of the Danube School’s early landscape focus.

History & Provenance

Albrecht Altdorfer, active in Regensburg, produced the work during his mature period as a leading member of the Danube School. Though originally circulated as a print, the piece later entered collections of early German graphic art, reflecting Altdorfer’s reputation among the Nuremberg Little Masters for intricate, small‑scale prints.

Context

At the turn of the 16th century, German artists increasingly integrated detailed natural environments into religious narratives. Altdorfer’s approach, treating landscape as an autonomous element, anticipates later Renaissance developments and situates the Annunciation to Joachim within a broader shift toward expressive, atmospheric composition in Northern European art.

Artist & collection

Artist

Albrecht Altdorfer

Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…