Part of: Madonna in her many forms (4 resources )
![A crowd gathers in the side chapel of a church around a group of seated figures and an infant. A man with a long flowing beard sits and holds the infant in his hands above a plate, while another man leans forward in his chair and peers through his spectacles at the child as he performs a circumcision. A plaque with the artist's initials, "HG," lies on the floor in the foreground.](/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjIvMDUvMjUvMWF2bDN6YjJtNV9kZWZhdWx0LmpwZyJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMjQweDIwMCJdXQ?sha=4b3872ade2eaeb7e "A crowd gathers in the side chapel of a church around a group of seated figures and an infant. A man with a long flowing beard sits and holds the infant in his hands above a plate, while another man leans forward in his chair and peers through his spectacles at the child as he performs a circumcision. A plaque with the artist's initials, "HG," lies on the floor in the foreground.")
![This woodcut print is vertically oriented. The upper half of the piece is celestial with an angel standing on a cloud blowing a trumpet. Men on fire-breathing beasts exit from the clouds. At the very top center, a white-bearded figure, shown from the torso to the head, holds four trumpets. Rays emanate from his head to form a halo, and he is framed in a half circle. Directly below him is an altar with vines on the sides and four child-faces spitting water out. The upper right corner features an angel blowing a trumpet and the upper left features a smiling angel with hands clasped in prayer. The lower half of the print is terrestrial and depicts a chaotic battle scene. Four angels with wings and swords attack a crowd of men, including a pope, a bishop and a king, as well as commoners. These figures are all crowded into the foreground with contorted postures. There is a city on a hill visible in the distance. The center bottom has Dürer’s signature of letter "D" contained within a letter &q](/media/W1siZiIsIjIwMjIvMDUvMjUvOG9lZzczejlmOF9kZWZhdWx0LmpwZyJdLFsicCIsInRodW1iIiwiMjQweDIwMCJdXQ?sha=dedaf9d225a350d0 "This woodcut print is vertically oriented. The upper half of the piece is celestial with an angel standing on a cloud blowing a trumpet. Men on fire-breathing beasts exit from the clouds. At the very top center, a white-bearded figure, shown from the torso to the head, holds four trumpets. Rays emanate from his head to form a halo, and he is framed in a half circle. Directly below him is an altar with vines on the sides and four child-faces spitting water out. The upper right corner features an angel blowing a trumpet and the upper left features a smiling angel with hands clasped in prayer. The lower half of the print is terrestrial and depicts a chaotic battle scene. Four angels with wings and swords attack a crowd of men, including a pope, a bishop and a king, as well as commoners. These figures are all crowded into the foreground with contorted postures. There is a city on a hill visible in the distance. The center bottom has Dürer’s signature of letter "D" contained within a letter &q")
4 Items in this Learning Collection
Collection Object
Collection Object
Collection Object
Resource with 3 media
Copyright
All Rights Reserved
()
Madonna by the Wall
Accession Number
1958/1.95
Title
Madonna by the Wall
Artist(s)
Albrecht Dürer
Object Creation Date
1514
Medium & Support
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
5 13/16 x 3.9 in. (14.76 x 10 cm);19 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. (49.21 x 36.51 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Label copy
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Albrecht Durer
Germany, 1471–1528
Madonna by the Wall
1514
Engraving on paper
Museum purchase, 1958/1.95
In this engraving, a large figure of the Virgin Mary, sumptuously dressed in voluminous garments, dominates the composition. Though she has the attributes of a housewife—a purse and keys hang from her belt—her posture is regal as she sits before the city wall. She gazes lovingly at the Christ child in her lap as he looks out to the viewer. The apple in his left hand is a reference to the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, as well as to his role as the Second Adam and redeemer. On the left, a stream meanders through the quiet landscape leading to a city, identifiable as Nuremberg, visible in the distant left background. Despite the outdoor setting, Durer’s scene preserves a sense of sheltered intimacy similar to Marcantonio Raimondi’s domestic interior (adjacent). Durer’s engraving, however, is more delicate, employing finer lines and a greater combination of stipplings, hatching, and cross-hatchings to define forms and materials and the play of light over their surfaces.
Subject matter
This exquisitely crafted print depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ on her lap. While she gazes serenely upon her child, he turns to look intensely outward and holds up an apple, an allusion to Adam's fall from grace and Christ's role as the "second Adam" who would redeem humanity from sin. A quiet landscape that includes the walls and towers of Nuremberg stretches into the background.
Physical Description
A young woman, dressed in long robes with her veil drawn over her head, sits next to a wall holding an infant in her lap. She is turned slightly to her right and gazes sweetly upon the child who twists to face the viewer and holds an apple in his left hand. A stream meanders through the landscape of trees and city walls behind them.
Primary Object Classification
Print
Primary Object Type
intaglio print
Collection Area
Western
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
Christianity
engraving (printing process)
landscapes (representations)
mothers
1958/1.95
Title
Madonna by the Wall
Artist(s)
Albrecht Dürer
Object Creation Date
1514
Medium & Support
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
5 13/16 x 3.9 in. (14.76 x 10 cm);19 3/8 x 14 3/8 in. (49.21 x 36.51 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Label copy
Gallery Rotation Fall 2013
Albrecht Durer
Germany, 1471–1528
Madonna by the Wall
1514
Engraving on paper
Museum purchase, 1958/1.95
In this engraving, a large figure of the Virgin Mary, sumptuously dressed in voluminous garments, dominates the composition. Though she has the attributes of a housewife—a purse and keys hang from her belt—her posture is regal as she sits before the city wall. She gazes lovingly at the Christ child in her lap as he looks out to the viewer. The apple in his left hand is a reference to the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve’s fall from grace, as well as to his role as the Second Adam and redeemer. On the left, a stream meanders through the quiet landscape leading to a city, identifiable as Nuremberg, visible in the distant left background. Despite the outdoor setting, Durer’s scene preserves a sense of sheltered intimacy similar to Marcantonio Raimondi’s domestic interior (adjacent). Durer’s engraving, however, is more delicate, employing finer lines and a greater combination of stipplings, hatching, and cross-hatchings to define forms and materials and the play of light over their surfaces.
Subject matter
This exquisitely crafted print depicts the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ on her lap. While she gazes serenely upon her child, he turns to look intensely outward and holds up an apple, an allusion to Adam's fall from grace and Christ's role as the "second Adam" who would redeem humanity from sin. A quiet landscape that includes the walls and towers of Nuremberg stretches into the background.
Physical Description
A young woman, dressed in long robes with her veil drawn over her head, sits next to a wall holding an infant in her lap. She is turned slightly to her right and gazes sweetly upon the child who twists to face the viewer and holds an apple in his left hand. A stream meanders through the landscape of trees and city walls behind them.
Primary Object Classification
Primary Object Type
intaglio print
Collection Area
Western
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keywords
Christianity
engraving (printing process)
landscapes (representations)
mothers
