Albrecht Dürer

The present work is based on a preparatory drawing in the Berlin Kupferstichkabinett. It is very close to the drawing, including the tree, the opulent drapery, and the two towers, which are a symbol of the Virgin. But it is most interesting to see that Dürer had already thought about how to depict the light in the engraving and, with a few lines, had indicated a dark sky and deep shadows over the faces of the Madonna and Child. The entire print is surprisingly dark for this rather idyllic subject, with the figures and landscape under a heavy sky illuminated by the sharp, cold light of a full moon. Dürer was to employ this effect again and develop it further the following year in the Engraved Passion.