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The Holy Family in an Enclosed Garden

1512
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.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Holy Family in an Enclosed Garden
  • Artist: Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg)
  • Date: 1512
  • Medium: Pen and reddish brown ink.
  • Dimensions: 10 9/16 x 7 7/8 in. (26.8 x 19.8 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.860
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

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