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Holy Family with the Butterfly

c. 1495
(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, late 15th-early 16th Century
engraving
Bequest of Mrs. Severance A. Millikin 1989.231
Catalogue raisonné: Meder 42
Location: not on view
Public Domain
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Description

Dürer’s earliest engraving of the Virgin and Child theme features the Madonna seated on a grassy bench in an enclosed garden, a traditional subject alluding to her virginity. The divine presence of God the Father and the Holy Spirit in the form of the dove overhead reinforces her sacred role as the mother of the Messiah, while Joseph, idly napping to the side, imparts a sense of domesticity and humanity to the scene. Because Dürer returned to this theme continuously throughout his career, it is possible to track his artistic development in engraving. For example, Joseph’s awkward proportions reveal Dürer’s relative inexperience in the medium up to this point.

Holy Family with the Butterfly

c. 1495

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, late 15th-early 16th Century

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