The Visitation
c. 1513
Medium
woodcut on laid paper
Dimensions
block: 7.1 × 4.9 cm (2 13/16 × 1 15/16 in.) sheet: 7.5 × 5.1 cm (2 15/16 × 2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of W.G. Russell Allen
Accession Number
1941.1.116
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Altdorfer's *The Visitation*, created around 1513, captures the moment when the Virgin Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, announcing the coming births of Jesus and John the Baptist. This intimate woodcut, housed in the National Gallery of, exemplifies the Northern Renaissance master's innovative spirit. Altdorfer, a key figure in the Danube School blended religious narrative with his signature landscape elements, even in tiny formats like this one—measuring just 7.1 × 4.9 cm on the block. Printed on laid paper, the work showcases Altdorfer's mastery of woodcut technique, where intrica...
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...