Artwork
Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate
Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate is an ink print by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1504 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Albrecht Dürer’s 1504 woodcut, titled *Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate*, portrays the biblical encounter of Mary’s parents at Jerusalem’s famed entrance. Executed in the early German woodcut tradition, the image measures a modest size and bears the artist’s monogram, confirming its authorship.
Subject & Meaning
The scene illustrates Joachim and Anne receiving the angelic promise of a child, a moment traditionally shown at the Golden Gate. Their faces are close, lips meeting in a tender kiss beneath a Gothic arch, emphasizing the union of hope and divine intervention that precedes the birth of the Virgin.
Technique & Style
Dürer employed fine carving tools to incise delicate lines that render the figures’ garments with a soft, flowing quality and the hair with intricate stippling. The background features densely packed trees and a diminutive walled city, demonstrating his skill in balancing narrative space with ornamental detail.
History & Provenance
Created during Dürer’s early mature period, the print reflects the growing popularity of woodcut as a reproducible medium in Germany. Original impressions bear the artist’s signature and have circulated among private collections before entering museum holdings, where they serve as exemplars of early 16th‑century religious printmaking.
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)
