Annunciation
Series TitleThe Life of the Virgin
Artist
Albrecht Dürer
(German, 1471 - 1528)
Dateca. 1503
MediumWoodcut
DimensionsImage: 11 3/4 × 8 5/16 inches (29.85 × 21.11 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Bloch
Object number79-40
On View
Not on viewCollections
Exhibition HistoryArchitecture and Decorative Arts in Prints from the Permanent Collection, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, March 13-April 10, 1983, no. 10, as The Annunciation from The Life of the Virgin, dated 1511.
The Virgin's encounter with Gabriel unfolds in an imposing structure that flaunts Albrecht Dürer's mastery of geometric perspective. A monumental portal that doubles as the picture's frame emphasizes the sacred nature of the scene. A series of similarly shaped arches lead the viewer's eye deep into the space. Dürer further enlivens the composition with symbolic details. The chained badger beneath the stairs symbolizes sloth (or laziness), a sin commonly understood by Christians as the source of all wrongdoings. Its capture alludes to the salvation that starts with the birth of Christ.
Architecture and Decorative Arts in Prints from the Permanent Collection, exh. cat. (Kansas City, MO: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 1983), p. 3, as The Annunciation from The Life of the Virgin, dated 1511.
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