The Holy Family (1512–13, Met-Objekt 276)
Original title: The Holy Family
kurzbeschreibung
Albrecht Dürer made The Holy Family in 1512–13 as a drypoint. It shows Mary with the Christ Child and other figures, executed in the drypoint technique.
Description
Mary sits on a simple wooden plank and holds the Christ Child on her lap. To her left, a bearded old man has taken a seat, his gaze directed downward. To Mary's right stands a curly-haired man looking toward the others; next to him is a woman wearing an apron. Behind the figures, structures suggest a town or castle. The layout feels symmetrical, the coloring is monochrome, and the light falls evenly.
Context
Dürer produced this print during his later Nuremberg years, after returning from Italy. Drypoint was still new at the time, and Dürer turned to it only rarely, which makes the work special. The Holy Family was one of the common subjects in Christian art, which Dürer here treated as an intimate domestic scene.
Impact
The etching thrives on its delicate, detailed linework, which gives the figures a quiet, almost reverent presence. The symmetrical arrangement and even lighting produce a harmonious, balanced image that invites calm contemplation.
Technique
In drypoint, the lines are scratched directly into the copper plate, giving the impression a characteristically soft, slightly blurred quality. Dürer used this method to achieve fine details and nuanced tonal gradations that are clearly evident in this sheet. Within the sheet's format, the symmetrical composition places the Holy Family at the center, surrounded by the other figures, while the even distribution of light and careful linework shape the image's effect across the monochrome print.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)