“Pond in the Wood” is a watercolor on paper artwork created by Albrecht Dürer around the year 1496. This work falls within the Northern Renaissance art movement and is categorized as a landscape. The painting is part of the collection at the British Museum in London, United Kingdom.
The artwork itself depicts a serene natural scene, capturing the tranquil essence of a woodland pond. The foreground is detailed with lush greenery and grasses that fringe the pond’s edge. A cluster of tall, slender trees rises to the right, their trunks leading the eye upward to the sky. The water of the pond is rendered in deep blues, reflecting the passing clouds overhead, while the sky transitions from a golden hue near the horizon, suggesting either a sunrise or sunset. Shadows and light play across the landscape, giving depth to the terrain around the pond and illustrating Dürer’s skill in creating atmospheric effects with watercolor. The artist’s monogram can be seen floating above the horizon line, which was a common signature element in his works.
