1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Birth of the Virgin is a 1504 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a cozy, candlelit room where women gather around a newborn. A mother lies tired in the background while another woman bathes the baby in a tub. An angel hovers above, marking the holy moment. Dürer paints this like a normal German home in 1503. The scene feels real, not stiff or fancy. You can almost hear the quiet chatter of the women. Look up Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528) for his other religious prints.
Dürer devoted three woodcuts (1959.99.5-7) to the significant events in Mary’s youth prior to her sacred calling. His depiction of her birth recalls a contemporary birthing scene, complete with midwives, female friends, and relatives. Anna rests from her efforts in the background while an attendant bathes the infant Mary in the immediate right foreground. The religious significance of the event is made known by the presence of an angel above. In the subsequent prints Mary is presented several years later at the temple (running up the stairs), followed by her betrothal to an older widowed man…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
See the richer artist page
![Madonna and Child [obverse]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/d7b8ebf05d22ebe5/thumb.webp)
![Lot and His Daughters [reverse]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/b4ebf9b282faa17a/thumb.webp)
