The artwork “Madonna and Child with Bagpipers,” created circa 1512 by Albrecht Dürer, is a sketch belonging to the Northern Renaissance period. The piece is classified as a study or a sketch, and it is presently housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London, United Kingdom.
The image shows a deftly drawn pen sketch on paper. In the upper part of the sketch, there’s a figure of a man on horseback, seemingly playing the bagpipes. Below him, there’s a more refined sketch of the Madonna holding the Child Jesus. The lines are swift and express a certain dynamism, characteristic of sketches where the artist captures the essence and movement quickly. The drawing exudes the energy of a work in progress, offering insight into Dürer’s process of exploring composition and form. The date “1512” is inscribed in the lower part of the sketch, confirming the time when Dürer worked on this piece.