DÜRER, Albrecht
(b. 1471, Nürnberg, d. 1528, Nürnberg)

Madonna Crowned by Two Angels

1518
Engraving, 148 x 100 mm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

This is one of only two engravings of the period between 1514 and 1519. The Virgin is crowned with a wreath of roses and is holding an apple. In spite of its admirable style, it lacks warmth compared to earlier versions. The background is no longer picturesque but rather dry in its reality. Dürer made use of a much older preparatory study, originally sketched for the Heller Altarpiece, for the drapery of this engraving.