Maria met het Christuskind en Anna bij een wieg

About this artwork

height 64 mm x width 56 mm

Art Historical Context

Behold Albrecht Altdorfer's engraving *Maria met het Christuskind Anna bij een wieg (Mary with the Christ and Anna at a Cradle), a gem from around 1506–1538. This intimate devotional scene captures the tender Holy Family—Virgin Mary cradling the infant Jesus, Saint Anne nearby—evoking the warmth of maternal piety central to early 16th Northern European Christianity. Altdorfer, a pioneering master of the Danube School, blended meticulous detail with a emerging sense of landscape, though here the focus rests on the figures' serene expressions and domestic setting. Crafted as a small-scale engraving (just 64 mm high by 56 mm wide), the work exemplifies Renaissance printmaking techniques. Altdorfer's fine burin lines create intricate textures—from the folds of Mary's robe to the woven cradle—allowing for precise shading and depth in a format designed for portability and prayer books. Engravings like this democratized sacred art, making high-quality images accessible beyond grand altarpieces. In the context of the German Renaissance, amid rising Reformation tensions, such prints fostered personal devotion. Altdorfer's innovative style, bridging Gothic precision with humanistic naturalism, marks him as a bridge to later masters like Dürer, offering visitors a window into faith's visual poetry.

About the Artist

Albrecht Altdorfer · 1475–1538

Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480–1538) was a German painter, printmaker, and draftsman who stands as one of the founders of landscape painting as an independent genre. Born in Regensburg or nearby Altdorf, he learned art from his father Ulrich, a painter and miniaturist. Altdorfer spent most of his life in Regensburg, becoming a citizen in 1505 and later serving as the city's official architect and a m...