1503
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Virgin and Child on a Grassy Bench is a 1503 by Albrecht Dürer, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
The painting shows the Virgin and Child on a grassy bench. The scene is tender and intimate. The Virgin cradles the infant in a warm embrace, showing a natural bond between a mother and child. The gentle play of hands and the dead tree in the background add to the scene's meaning, and to learn more, look up the technique of sfumato.
This simple and intimate scene of the Virgin nursing the Christ Child is among Dürer’s most tender depictions of the subject. With affectionate devotion the Virgin cradles the infant in a warm embrace, providing protection and essential nourishment. The gentle play of hands at the center of the composition adds to the naturalism of the scene and captures the universal bond between a mother and her child. The dead tree and the goldfinch resting on the trellis behind them allude to Jesus’s inevitable Passion, making this private moment all the more meaningful.
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)
