Artwork
The Beautiful Virgin of Regensburg Seated in a Landscape
The Beautiful Virgin of Regensburg Seated in a Landscape is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Altdorfer. It dates from 1520 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created circa 1520, this engraving on laid paper presents a seated female figure holding a child within a natural setting.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1520, this engraving on laid paper presents a seated female figure holding a child within a natural setting. The composition combines a devotional subject with an expansive landscape, a hallmark of the artist’s approach to integrating narrative and environment.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure, a woman in modest robes and a head covering, cradles an infant who grasps a small object, suggesting a maternal or sacred relationship. The surrounding trees and distant figure contribute a sense of depth, framing the intimate scene within a broader world.
Technique & Style
Executed with delicate cross‑hatching, the print achieves texture and tonal variation through intersecting lines. Fine strokes delineate the folds of the garments and the foliage, while subtle shading conveys volume and atmospheric perspective, reflecting the artist’s skill in the intricate engraving tradition.
Context
The work belongs to the output of Albrecht Altdorfer, a pivotal member of the Danube School active in Regensburg. His practice of placing religious subjects amid vivid landscapes aligns him with the early 16th‑century movement that treated nature as an autonomous element of composition.
Legacy
As part of the so‑called Nuremberg Little Masters, Altdorfer’s prints exemplify the period’s fascination with small‑scale, highly detailed engravings. This piece illustrates his contribution to the development of landscape as an independent artistic concern within Northern Renaissance printmaking.
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Artist & collection
Artist
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…
