Annunciation, from The Fall and Salvation of Mankind Through the Life and Passion of Christ
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 1/8 × 2 3/16 in. (7.9 × 5.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.11.13
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Altdorfer’s woodcut *Annunciation* depicts the moment the angel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she will bear the Son of God. Part of the larger series *The Fall and Salvation of Mankind Through the Life and Passion of Christ*, the image presents this sacred encounter as a cornerstone of Christian redemption, linking humanity’s fall from grace with its eventual salvation through Christ. Executed in woodcut, a technique prized during the Renaissance for its ability to produce fine lines and repeatable images, the print measures just over three inches tall. This intimate scal...
About the Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer · 1475–1538
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480–1538) was a German painter, printmaker, and draftsman who stands as one of the founders of landscape painting as an independent genre. Born in Regensburg or nearby Altdorf, he learned art from his father Ulrich, a painter and miniaturist. Altdorfer spent most of his life in Regensburg, becoming a citizen in 1505 and later serving as the city's official architect and a m...