The Madonna and Child with the Parrot
1470–1491
Medium
Engraving; second state
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 1/4 × 4 5/16 in. (15.9 × 10.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1937
Accession Number
37.3.6
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 15th century, artist Martin Schongauer *The Madonna and Child with Parrot*, a delicate engraving from around 1470–1491. This second-state impression, measuring just 6 1/4 × 4 5/16 inches, captures the tender intimacy of the Virgin Mary cradling the Christ Child, who playfully holds a vibrant parrot—a motif popular in Northern Renaissance devotional art. Schongauer, a pioneering engraver from Colmar, bridged late Gothic traditions with emerging Renaissance naturalism, influencing masters like Albrecht Dürer. Engravings like this one revolutionized art dissemination, allowing afford...
About the Artist
Martin Schongauer · 1435–1491
Martin Schongauer, born around 1450–1453 in Colmar, Alsace, emerged from a family of skilled artisans. The third of four or five sons of goldsmith Caspar Schongauer, who had relocated from Augsburg to Colmar around 1440, Martin was immersed in the goldsmith's trade from youth, likely receiving his initial training in his father's workshop—a common path for early engravers. He further honed his ski...