The Virgin Nursing the Christ Child, copy
n.d.
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 9/16 × 2 7/8 in. (11.6 × 7.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman
Accession Number
57.658.124
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intimate engraving by Albrecht Dürer captures the tender moment of the Virgin Mary nursing the Christ Child, a beloved theme in Christian art known as the Madonna Lactans. Created as a print, the work measures just over four by two inches, suggesting it was designed for personal devotion rather than public display. Though dated simply “n.d.,” the piece reflects Dürer’s lifelong exploration of religious subjects through the medium of engraving. Dürer, one of the greatest masters of the Northern Renaissance, brought extraordinary precision and emotional warmth to his prints. His fine, cont...
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...