Object number1941.1.20

Virgin Crowned by Two Angels

Date1518

Artist Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528)

CultureGerman

MediumEngraving on tan paper

DimensionsImage: 5 7/8 x 4 in. (14.92 x 10.16 cm)

Credit LineGift of Mrs. Felix M. Warburg and her children

On View

Not on view

Period16th c

Classification(s)

SignedSigned: AD

Catalogue raisonnéBartsch 39; Meder 39; Panofsky 146; Strauss 87BibliographyMundy, James, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center: Vassar College The History and Collection (New York: Prestel Publishing, 2007), p. 36 repr.; Limouze, Dorothy and Susan Kuretsky. The Felix M. Warburg Print Collection: A Legacy of Discernment . Poughkeepsie, N. Y.: The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, 1995. Bartsch 39; Meder 39; Panofsky 146; Strauss 87; Limouze 8ProvenanceCollections: Felix M. and Frieda Warburg, New York
Exhibition History"Master Printmakers: Albrecht Dürer and the Renaissance in Germany," Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA, 21 December 1991 - 15 March 1992.
DescriptionWhile this engraving is not as imposing in its size as those by Dürer listed above, it is noteworthy in the Vassar collection because of the quality of its printing and its condition. The German Dürer scholar Josef Meder assigned alphabetical categories to all of Dürer’s prints based on the freshness of the impression. Thus, a Meder ‘A’ rating would suggest a print made from the newly engraved plate. The ‘B,’ ‘C’ or an even lower category would suggest subsequent printings, often after the plate had been reworked or, even, a print taken after the artist’s death. The Virgin Crowned by Two Angels is a glorious example of a Meder ‘A’ engraving, pristine and sharp in its line and rich in its inking, so that the full effect of the folds and shadows of the drapery or the sticks of the wattle fence are maximized. For print collectors, condition is everything, and Felix Warburg’s collection clearly identified him as a connoisseur of great distinction.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email loebcollections@vassar.edu