Life of the Virgin: Presentation of the Young Virgin in the Temple

1504

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Life of the Virgin: Presentation of the Young Virgin in the Temple is a 1504 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Albrecht Dürer
When & what style?: 1504 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This drawing shows a crowded, ornate room with two arches. On the left, a group of women in old-fashioned robes stands around a raised platform where a girl in blue kneels. To the right, a man in a long coat holds a staff and talks to a smaller group. Above them, a statue of a woman with a torch stands in a niche, and a dog lies on the floor near a table with scattered books. The girl on the platform is likely the Virgin Mary, being presented at the temple as a child. The detailed carvings and draped fabrics show the artist’s skill in making everything look three-dimensional. Next, check out Renaissance to see how this style changed art forever.