The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 20, 2024
The Birth of the Virgin
c. 1503–1504
Location: not on view
Description
Dürer devoted three woodcuts (1959.99.5-7) to the significant events in Mary’s youth prior to her sacred calling. His depiction of her birth recalls a contemporary birthing scene, complete with midwives, female friends, and relatives. Anna rests from her efforts in the background while an attendant bathes the infant Mary in the immediate right foreground. The religious significance of the event is made known by the presence of an angel above. In the subsequent prints Mary is presented several years later at the temple (running up the stairs), followed by her betrothal to an older widowed man named Joseph.- Dürer, Albrecht. The Life of the Virgin. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1959. Reproduced: p. 5; Plate V archive.org
- Dürer’s Women: Images of Devotion and Desire. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 22-September 28, 2014).CMA 1996: Sets and Series: Five Centuries of Master Prints, February 20-May 5, 1996, no cat.Eight Masters of the Print. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 14, 1980-January 18, 1981).Durer. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (organizer) (April 6-May 8, 1971).Albrecht Dürer - 500th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 19-March 28, 1971).
- {{cite web|title=The Birth of the Virgin|url=false|author=Albrecht Dürer|year=c. 1503–1504|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.99.5