1513
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Death of the Virgin is a 1513 ink by Albrecht Altdorfer, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This woodcut shows a group of people gathered around a dying woman. They’re dressed in loose robes, some kneeling, others standing close. The scene is framed by a half-circle of arches, like a stage set. The figures look tense, their faces turned toward the woman at the center, who holds a cross. Notice how the artist used sharp lines to show emotion—hands clutching, heads bowed. The print’s rough texture makes it feel old and urgent. Look up woodcut to see how artists carved images into wood blocks long before photography.
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…
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