The painting titled “Madonna with the Siskin” is an oil on panel created by the artist Albrecht Dürer in 1506. This artwork is part of the Northern Renaissance art movement and is categorized as a religious painting. The painting’s dimensions are 91 x 76 cm, and it is housed at the Lindenau-Museum in Altenburg, Germany.
The artwork shows the Virgin Mary centrally positioned and robed in a rich red dress with a blue mantle. She holds the young Christ Child on her lap, who is depicted naked with a playful expression. In his hand, he holds a siskin, a small bird which lends its name to the title of the painting. To the right of Mary, a young St. John the Baptist looks on while handing over a sprig to the Christ Child. Above Mary, two cherubim can be seen holding a laurel wreath, symbolizing triumph and victory.
The background is divided into two distinct areas by Mary’s figure: on the left is a detailed portrayal of architecture representing a ruined building, and on the right, a lush, verdant landscape with trees and a distant building. The large expanse of blue sky above ties the composition together. The attention to detail in the landscape and the realist depiction of figures are characteristic of Dürer’s work and the Northern Renaissance’s focus on naturalism and precision.
