The artwork titled “Mary with child wound on the grassy bank” by Albrecht Dürer, dated 1514, is a religious painting from the Northern Renaissance period. It is part of the collection at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, UK.
In the artwork, the Virgin Mary is depicted seated on a grassy bank gently holding the Christ Child, creating a tender and intimate portrayal of mother and child. The composition of the drawing is intimate, with Mary’s attention fully on the Child, suggesting a moment of maternal care and affection. The lines are precise and delicate, indicating Dürer’s mastery in capturing detail and form. Her garments are rendered with meticulous care, showing the folds of her clothes with a high degree of naturalism, which is characteristic of Dürer’s skillful draftsmanship and the Northern Renaissance’s attention to detail. The drawing is in monochrome, using what appears to be pen and ink, a medium that Dürer was known to employ with great expertise. The arrangement of forms and the use of hatching to indicate shading display the artist’s understanding of light and form. The intimacy and religious sentiment of the scene speak to the devotional practices of the period.
