Artwork
Virgin and Child
Virgin and Child is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1516 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
A woman in a red robe holds a naked child close, his chubby arms wrapped around her neck, both set against a plain dark ground. Albrecht Dürer painted her face tired but gentle in 1516, the oil smooth and the shadows soft as light and dark shape their forms.
Subject & Meaning
As a devotional image, the iconography focuses on the intimate bond between mother and son, serving as a visual meditation on divine humanity.
Created in 1516, this oil painting on panel by Albrecht Dürer depicts the Madonna and Child, a central subject in religious art. The work portrays the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, representing the theological concept of the Incarnation. As a devotional image, the iconography focuses on the intimate bond between mother and son, serving as a visual meditation on divine humanity.
The composition adheres to traditional Northern Renaissance conventions for this genre, emphasizing the sacred nature of the figures through the medium of oil paint. The piece functions as an object of veneration, illustrating the core Christian narrative of Mary's role in salvation history.
Technique & Style
The painting Virgin and Child by Albrecht Dürer, created in 1516, is an oil work executed on a wooden panel. Measuring roughly 27.9 cm by 22.2 cm, it belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection. The composition presents the Virgin Mary tenderly holding the infant Christ, a common devotional subject in early sixteenth‑century German religious art.
Dürer’s use of oil paint allows fine linear detail and subtle chiaroscuro, giving the figures a three‑dimensional presence. The work’s formal balance and intimate scale reflect the devotional intimacy typical of Dürer’s early period. Documentation does not specify its present condition.
History & Provenance
Albrecht Dürer painted the Virgin and Child in 1516, executing the work in oil on panel. The painting measures 27.9 × 22.2 cm and portrays the Madonna with the infant Christ. It has been part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection since its acquisition and remains on view at the museum in New York.
The precise patron who commissioned the piece is not documented in the available records, and no earlier ownership history is detailed in the sources.
The painting Virgin and Child by Albrecht Dürer is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it forms part of the museum's collection. According to the available records, the work is catalogued within that institution's holdings and is identified as a religious oil-on-panel work dating to 1516. No specific accession number is recorded in the consulted sources, and no prior or subsequent exhibition history beyond its presence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection is documented.
Context
Albrecht Dürer completed a small oil painting on panel in 1516 depicting the Virgin and Child, now held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, classified as a religious painting, measures 27.9 × 22.2 cm and shows Mary with the infant Christ. Its creation coincides with Dürer’s early period, when he produced devotional images that combined Northern naturalism with emerging Renaissance techniques.
The painting exemplifies the devotional genre popular in German art of the early sixteenth century and reflects Dürer’s skill in rendering intimate sacred subjects on a modest scale. Scholars consider it part of Dürer’s broader exploration of religious imagery that bridges Late Gothic tradition and early Northern Renaissance naturalism.
Overview
Albrecht Dürer, a prominent artist of the German Renaissance, created Virgin and Child in 1516. This oil painting exemplifies the Northern Renaissance style, depicting a tender moment between the Madonna and the Christ Child. The work is a significant example of Dürer's painting oeuvre, complementing his renowned engravings and theoretical writings. It is currently housed in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
![Madonna and Child [obverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--madonna-and-child-obverse--d7b8ebf05d22ebe5-w320.webp)
![Lot and His Daughters [reverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--lot-and-his-daughters-reverse--b4ebf9b282faa17a-w320.webp)
