Albrecht Dürer

Everything in the Virgin and Child on a grassy Bench is aimed at creating a sense of intimacy and modesty; neither the Virgin nor the Christ Child has a halo, the group is seen at an angle slightly from above and the hortus conclusus, only hinted at with a few simple plants and blades of grass, is not walled in but merely delineated by a simple wooden fence. The lack of a landscape in the background adds to the peace and simplicity of the scene, as does the little songbird perched on the fence. Mary is completely absorbed in her care for the Child, and by choosing to depict her nursing the Child, Dürer further intensified the feeling of intimacy, almost to the point where as a viewer one is afraid to disturb them.

This is a deceptively effortless print, and one which required all of Dürer's technical expertise to produce. It was to become one of his most popular prints and no fewer than 12 engraved copies of this subject are known.