The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 5, 2023

The Life of the Virgin

The Life of the Virgin

c. 1510–11

Part of a set. See all set records

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)

Germany, early 16th Century

Woodcut

Dudley P. Allen Fund 1959.99

Location

not on view

Description

The frontispiece of the series is a modification of the devotional imagery Dürer used in his depictions of the Virgin and Child standing in a crescent moon. Here, he also incorporated the themes of the nursing Madonna and the Madonna of Humility, often shown seated. In doing so, Dürer fused the Virgin’s regal, motherly, and humble natures into one striking image.

Citations
Dürer, Albrecht. The Life of the Virgin. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1959. Reproduced: p. 1; Plate I archive.org
Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions Press Release,” September 29, 1959, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 107 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 107 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 125 archive.org
Exhibition history

Old Master Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 29, 1966-April 1, 1967).

Albrecht Dürer - 500th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 19-March 28, 1971).

Durer. Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (organizer) (April 6-May 8, 1971).

Dürer’s Women: Images of Devotion and Desire. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 22-September 28, 2014).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.99