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The Circumcision

Albrecht Dürer

1504

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

The Circumcision 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

The painting shows a scene of Jesus's circumcision. It's a significant event in the Bible. The details in the scene are interesting, like the expressions on the people's faces. The scene is part of a series of woodcuts showing the life of Jesus. These woodcuts tell a story from the Bible, showing important moments in Jesus's life. You can learn more about this style by looking at the work of artist: Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528).

The story of this work

Overview

These eight woodcuts (1959.99.8-15) progress from Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would bear the Son of God, to the events of her early motherhood and beyond. This included the joy of sharing her pregnancy with her cousin Elizabeth, Jesus’s birth, and the subsequent arrival of the magi. After Jesus’s circumcision and presentation at the temple the Holy Family fled to Egypt to avoid Herod and stayed there for several years. The seemingly out of place last scene shows a glimpse of their daily life in Egypt as Joseph continues his carpentry and Mary spins wool. The Holy Family is…

Read the full account in the museum source.