The Annunciation
Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)
c. 1503–5
Medium
woodcut
Classification
Department
Prints
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession Number
1959.99.8
Tags
male
About this artwork
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 ...