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.
About this work
Overview
Albrecht Altdorfer’s engraving, titled *The Beautiful Virgin of Regensburg Seated in a Landscape*, dates to circa 1520. Executed on laid paper, the print presents a devotional scene in which the Virgin Mary holds the infant Christ, set against a wooded, rocky terrain rendered in fine linear detail.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on Mary, depicted in modest robes and a patterned headscarf, cradling the child who leans against her arm. The surrounding trees and crags frame the figures, suggesting a harmonious relationship between the sacred and the natural world, a motif common in Altdorfer’s religious works.
Technique & Style
Altdorfer employs dense cross‑hatching to model volume and texture, using intersecting lines to suggest the folds of fabric, the roughness of bark, and the subtle gradations of shadow. The monochrome medium allows a delicate play of light, highlighted by a faint halo‑like glow around the heads.
History & Provenance
Created during Altdorfer’s mature period in Regensburg, the print aligns with his output as one of the Nuremberg Little Masters, a group known for small, intricately detailed engravings. It reflects the artist’s dual role as a painter of expansive landscapes and a printmaker focused on intimate devotional subjects.
Context
Altdorfer was a leading figure of the Danube School, a regional movement that emphasized vivid, atmospheric landscapes. This engraving illustrates his synthesis of that landscape sensibility with traditional Christian iconography, integrating the Virgin’s figure seamlessly into a natural setting.
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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…
