Cleveland Museum of Art

The Annunciation

Albrecht Dürer

Date

c. 1503–5

Medium

woodcut

Culture

Germany, early 16th Century

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Dürer’s Gabriel is no humble messenger: he commands the space with rippling drapery and an expansive spread of wings. Indeed, it is Mary who seems submissive, dwarfed by the massive architecture and her new responsibility as the mother of God. The grand setting underscores the drama of the moment and displays Dürer’s command of mathematical perspective. Details in Dürer’s Annunciation held significance for European Christians. For example, the dove hovering above Mary’s head in a blaze of light indicates the moment the Holy Spirit impregnates her; the Old Testament heroine Judith, depicted in a roundel just below the ceiling, symbolizes Mary’s victory over the devil. Dürer's cycle depicting Mary's life, which gained instant acclaim, was remarkable not only for its theological accuracy but also for its unprecedented wealth of detail.

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