5092 - Dürer, Albrecht

Dürer, Albrecht The Virgin on the Crescent Moon. Woodcut from *The Life of the Virgin*, as are the following five lot numbers. 30 x 21.5 cm. B. 76, Meder 188, Latin edition of 1511. Mark: triangle with flower (Meder 127). The Madonna on the Crescent Moon is the title page of the 20-sheet series “The Life of the Virgin,” which narratively depicts the most important stages of her life, beginning with Mary’s birth, through scenes from her youth and the childhood of Jesus, up to Mary’s coronation. Dürer created the first sheets before his second trip to Italy in 1505; two sheets, as well as this title page, were executed in 1510 and published a year later as a book with Latin text. Dürer’s primary textual sources for this work were not the Bible, but apocryphal narratives. Even during Dürer’s lifetime, the Marian cycle enjoyed great popularity and served as a model for many artists, both in terms of composition and iconography. An excellent print, with the text at the top and bottom of the recto; the last four lines at the bottom are missing. Slightly dusty, slightly stained, minimal scratch on the left corner; on the reverse, mounting and adhesive residues; otherwise, a beautiful copy overall. From the Alfred Seymour Collection (Lugt 176). - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.