Madonna and Child at a Fountain
1501
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 18.1 × 15.7 cm (7 1/8 × 6 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1946.21.139
Art Historical Context
In the early 16th century, anonymous engraver known as Master MZ *Madonna and Child at Fountain* in 1501, a delicate engraving on laid paper measuring just 18.1 × 15.7 cm. This intimate print captures the tender Virgin Mary and Christ Child by a fountain, a motif blending everyday serenity with profound Christian devotion. Active around 1500 in southern Germany, likely in the Danube region, MZ was part of the Northern Renaissance's burgeoning printmaking scene, where artists like Martin Schongauer paved the way for masters such as Albrecht Dürer. Engraving, Master MZ's chosen medium, involved...
About the Artist
Master MZ · 1477–1525
The artist known as Master MZ is one of the most accomplished and enigmatic printmakers of the German Renaissance, active around the turn of the sixteenth century. The designation derives from the monogram MZ with which the artist signed a small but technically extraordinary group of engravings, and despite sustained scholarly inquiry, the individual behind these initials has never been conclusive...