“Wing of a Blue Roller” is a watercolor painting by Albrecht Dürer, created in 1512 during the Northern Renaissance. Depicting the detailed and vividly colored wing of a bird, the artwork is recognized for its meticulous detail and naturalism, characteristic of Dürer’s work and the broader Northern Renaissance movement. An animal painting genre piece, it is currently housed in the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria, adding to the institution’s esteemed collection of Renaissance art.
In the artwork itself, Dürer displays a mastery of his medium, capturing the intricate patterns of the feathers and their rich, varied hues with extraordinary precision. The blue roller’s wing is rendered in shades of blue, green, brown, and red, creating a tapestry of color that is both realistic and striking. The texture and softness of the feathers are almost tangible, each carefully defined to show the way light reflects and shadows fall across the curved surfaces. Notably, the year “1512” is inscribed at the top, serving both as a testament to the painting’s creation date and as a compositional element. Dürer’s monogram “AD” – Albrecht Dürer – is also visible in red, further authenticating the piece as the work of the renowned German artist.
