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Artwork Page for Life of the Virgin: The Nativity

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Life of the Virgin: The Nativity

1504–1505
(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, early 16th Century
woodcut
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1922.293
Catalogue raisonné: Meder 197
Location: not on view
Public Domain
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Description

This print depicting Christ’s birth belongs to one of the numerous print series that Albrecht Dürer produced on religious themes. Here, the artist focused on everyday details of the Virgin Mary’s life story to emphasize her humanity. Dürer revolutionized the technique of woodcut with such scenes, which told biblical stories with enough descriptive detail and skillful narrative staging to minimize the need for text. The textures, fine details, and perspectival space of his woodcuts surpassed any examples of the medium before him.

Life of the Virgin: The Nativity

1504–1505

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, early 16th Century

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