Albrecht Dürer

Although the present work is the final plate in the published edition of the Life of the Virgin, it is considered to be the earliest one of the series on stylistic grounds. The densely composed group of figures, probably inspired by the Italian notion of the Sacra Conversazione stands in front of the room rather than within it, while the room itself gives the impression of a stage set made up of different architectural elements, rather than an actual building. In a similar way the ledge in the foreground, so charmingly populated by a group of putti and a rabbit and decorated with flowers, is a device to create the illusion of depth without establishing a spatial relationship to the figures.

The putti holding the empty coats of arms, reminiscent of the Three Genii (lot 37), are an indication that Dürer had originally intended this plate to be the first in the series. Such blank coats of arms are frequently to be found on title pages of the time and were meant to hold the hand-painted crest of the book's owner.