Description:Created in c. 1503 – 1504, this work features Albrecht Dürer’s signature monogram on a slate in the lower right of the image. From the rare Latin Text Edition of 1511 with Latin text on the reverse.
According to W. Strauss (1980), “Dürer has taken some liberties with the apocryphal story of the aged parents, Joachim and Anna, and their dedication of their unexpected child, Mary, to God when she was only three years old. We are told that she ascended fifteen steps at the entrance to the Temple, and that she then remained under the tutelage of the priests until her betrothal to Joseph at the age of twelve. In this woodcut the Virgin ascends fewer steps and seems a little older. Although she is pictured in the exact center, deprived of her profile, her small figure is almost overwhelmed by the three groups of bystanders: the priests, her family, and the money changers and peddlers of fruit and sacrificial animals” (p. 274).
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. 179 and detailed on pg. 26.
2. Meder, J. (1932). Dürer-Katalog. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 193.
3. Pawlak, M. Albrecht Dürer: 1471 bis 1528, Das gesamte Graphische Werk, Druckgraphik, Band II. Listed and illustrated as plate no. 1560.
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. 193 on pg. 156.
5. Schoch, R. (2002). Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk, Band II Holzschnitte und Holzschnittfolgen. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 171 on pg. 238-40.
6. Strauss, W. L. (1980). Albrecht Dürer, Woodcuts and Wood Blocks. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 79 on pgs. 274-5.
About the Framing:
This work has received full archival treatment in its framing to insure the quality and longevity of the piece. Please note there are window openings on both the front and back of the piece to enjoy the image of The Presentation of the Virgin In the Temple and the Latin text on the reverse. 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.’
