The Holy Family in an Enclosed Garden

Albrecht Dürer German

Not on view

This drawing is a variation on a popular fifteenth-century theme in which the Madonna is portrayed seated in a rose garden or on a grassy bank. The arbor suggests the enclosed garden, or hortus conclusus, a visual metaphor for Mary’s virginity. Durer’s working technique - lightly sketched outlines, areas of parallel hatching to differentiate light and shadow, and little attempt at three-dimensionality - exemplifies his graphic production during the second decade of the fifteenth century.

The Holy Family in an Enclosed Garden, Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg), Pen and reddish brown ink.

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The Holy Family in an Enclosed Garden, Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg), Pen and reddish brown ink.
The Holy Family in an Enclosed Garden, Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg), Pen and reddish brown ink.

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