The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
The Annunciation
c. 1503–5
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
Dürer's cycle depicting Mary's life, which gained instant acclaim, was remarkable not only for its theological accuracy but also for its unprecedented wealth of detail.Description
Dürer’s Gabriel is no humble messenger: he commands the space with rippling drapery and an expansive spread of wings. Indeed, it is Mary who seems submissive, dwarfed by the massive architecture and her new responsibility as the mother of God. The grand setting underscores the drama of the moment and displays Dürer’s command of mathematical perspective.Details in Dürer’s Annunciation held significance for European Christians. For example, the dove hovering above Mary’s head in a blaze of light indicates the moment the Holy Spirit impregnates her; the Old Testament heroine Judith, depicted in a roundel just below the ceiling, symbolizes Mary’s victory over the devil.
- ?–1959(William H. Schab Gallery, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1959–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Dürer, Albrecht. The Life of the Virgin. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1959. Mentioned: p. 8; Plate VIII archive.org
- Prince Salim's Life of Christ (Manuscript Rotation) - Gallery 115. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (December 2, 2019-July 1, 2020).Dürer's Women: Images of Devotion and Desire. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 22-September 28, 2014).Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).Sets and Series: Five Centuries of Master Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (February 20-May 5, 1996). no cat.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 Annunciation|url=false|author=Albrecht Dürer|year=c. 1503–5|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.99.8