Description:Created in c. 1505, this stunning woodcut features Albrecht Dürer’s (1471 – 1528) signature monogram on a slate in the lower right of the image. This work has also been dated to c. 1580 by the rare watermark within the fine, laid paper on which this woodcut has been printed. The Fish Bladder watermark can be found in Meder 309.
This is a beautifully compositioned scene, with all of our characters amassed together around this momentous event. The room is bustling with movement and excitement as all attention is focused on the baby Jesus. It is fantastically detailed and incredibly shaded so as to connote the depth of field that Dürer continuously sought in this series of woodcuts.
According to W. Strauss (1980) , “the action is shifted toward the right, strikingly counter-balanced by the single figure of a man on the left, bearing a great, tall, braided candle. He casts a backward glance, as he strides forward, symbolizing the coming of the new creed. The Virgin looks dejected – it is the first of her Seven Sorrows – while St. Joseph – with the same remarkable profile as in the preceding and the following sheets that link them – seeks to calm her” (p. 322)
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work) :
1. Kurth, W. Dr. (1946) . The Complete Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 184 and detailed on pg. 26.
2. Meder, J. (1932) . Dürer-Katalog. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 198 on pg. 174.
3. Pawlak, M. Albrecht Dürer: 1471 bis 1528, Das gesamte Graphische Werk, Druckgraphik, Band II. Listed and illustrated as plate no. 1570.
4. Scheller, R. W. and Boon, K. G. (1971) . The Graphic Art of Albrecht Dürer, Hans Dürer and the Dürer School. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 198 on page 158.
5. Schoch, R. (2002) . Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk, Band II Holzschnitte und Holzschnittfolgen. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 176 on pg. 251-3.
6. Strauss, W. L. (1980) . Albrecht Dürer, Woodcuts and Wood Blocks. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 98 on pgs. 322-3.
About the Framing:
This work has received full archival treatment in its framing to insure the quality and longevity of the piece. It is encased in a Spanish-style black and gold frame with gilded detail inspired by floral motifs. Set in a closed-corner frame with matching gold inner fillet with white, linen-wrapped mats behind a Plexiglas® cover. Also features custom-made artist’s plaque below the inner fillet, mounted on the mat: ‘Albrecht Dürer | 1471 – 1528.’
