Artwork
The Virgin and Child Crowned by Two Angels
The Virgin and Child Crowned by Two Angels is an ink print by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1518 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:in plate, bottom right: 1518 / AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: B.39.Dodg.87 [?]; verso, lower right, in graphite by a later hand: 3 [upside down]; verso, lower right, in graphite by a later hand: JFL - [?]; verso, bottom center, in ink by a later hand: 129
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The composition is defined by the presence of two angels who are actively crowning Mary, a visual motif that establishes her status as the Queen of Heaven.
Created in 1518, this engraving presents a devotional scene featuring the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child. The composition is defined by the presence of two angels who are actively crowning Mary, a visual motif that establishes her status as the Queen of Heaven. This iconography serves to elevate the domestic intimacy of the mother and child into a representation of divine royalty and celestial authority.
As a work of religious art from the German Renaissance, the image functions as a theological statement on the glorification of the Virgin within Christian doctrine.
Technique & Style
Albrecht Dürer created this religious print in 1518 using engraving on laid paper. The work measures 115 cm in height and 101 cm in width, depicting the Virgin Mary with the infant Christ Child surrounded by two angels. It belongs to the German Renaissance movement and is part of the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection in Washington, D.C.
History & Provenance
The engraving was created by Albrecht Dürer in 1518. Its early ownership history is documented from the nineteenth century onward, beginning with the collector Carl Julius Kollmann of Dresden, who held the print during his lifetime (1820–1875). The work subsequently passed through the Hollstein and Puppel sale in Berlin on 6 November 1929, appearing as lot 382.
At that auction it was acquired by Lessing J. Rosenwald of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, who assembled a renowned collection of prints. In 1943, Rosenwald gifted the engraving to the National Gallery of Art, where it entered the institution's holdings as part of the Rosenwald Collection.
No information about the original commission or first owner at the time of production is recorded in the available sources.
The print is held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and bears the accession number 1943.10.13.
It was formerly owned by Carl Julius Kollmann in Dresden and subsequently sold at auction in Berlin in 1929 before being acquired by Lessing J. Rosenwald. The work was then gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1943.
The print was included in the exhibition "German Renaissance Prints from the Rosenwald Collection," shown at the National Gallery of Art from 1943 through 1944.
Context
Albrecht Dürer's 1518 engraving The Virgin and Child Crowned by Two Angels stands as a significant work within the German Renaissance movement. The piece exemplifies the artist's mastery of printmaking during the early sixteenth century, depicting a traditional religious subject with precise detail. Current scholarship situates the engraving among Dürer's mature religious prints, reflecting the theological and artistic currents of the era.
The work is held in major public collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it resides in the Rosenwald Collection, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, ensuring its continued study and visibility within art historical discourse.
Overview
The Virgin and Child Crowned by Two Angels is an engraving on laid paper created by Albrecht Dürer in 1518.
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)
