1513
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Presentation of the Virgin is a 1513 ink by Albrecht Altdorfer, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a group of people gathered around a bed. A woman lies on it, holding a baby. Two men stand near her, one with a beard and a tall hat, the other with a staff. Others watch from the sides, dressed in old-fashioned robes. The background has a simple, patterned curtain. Notice how the artist used sharp lines to show cloth and hair, making everything look carved out of wood. This isn’t paint—it’s a woodcut, where the design is cut into a block and then printed. Want to learn more? Check out the technique: woodcut.
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…
See the richer artist page
