Haller Madonna
| Haller Madonna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Albrecht Dürer |
| Year | before 1505 |
| Medium | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 50 cm × 40 cm (20 in × 16 in) |
| Location | National Gallery of Art,Washington, D.C. |
TheHaller Madonnais anoil paintingby the German Renaissance artistAlbrecht Dürer,dating to between 1496 and 1499. It is now in theNational Gallery of Art,Washington, DC.[1]The reverse also contains a full Dürer painting, entitledLot and His Daughters.
Description[edit]
TheHaller Madonnapainting on the obverse depictsMaryand an athletic-looking, jowlyJesus,with a window looking out to a distant view.[1]This scheme is similar to that ofGiovanni Bellini's works, which Dürer had seen in his first sojourn inVenice(1494–1495).[1]
It features coats of arms in the lower corners, both representing prominent families from Dürer's home town ofNuremberg,Germany. The left-hand arms are those of thepatricianfamilyHaller von Hallersteinwhile the right-hand arms (technically amason's mark) symbolize theKobergerfamily which came from the artisan class.[1]It has therefore been suggested that the painting was commissioned by (or for) Wolf Haller and his wife Ursula Koberger, probably intended for private devotion. The daughter of the printerAnton Koberger(publisher of the famousNuremberg Chronicle,a landmark ofincunabula) had married the young nobleman in 1491. Anton Koberger was Dürer's godfather and neighbor, he may have commissioned the painting as a gift for his daughter who had risen to the patriciate. Wolf Haller initially entered his father-in-law's business as a helper and traveler, but after a few years he fell out with him and fled to Vienna, where he died in 1505.[2]
In the mid-20th century the work belonged to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection inLugano(Switzerland). It was acquired by Samuel Kress, who later donated it to the American museum of Washington.[citation needed]When the painting was sold on the antiques market, it was attributed to Bellini; it was later assigned to the German painter due to the style of the landscape and the posture of the child, typical of northern European painting. The child holds a fruit, a symbol of theOriginal Sin;the red padding of the cushion, as well as the tassels, perhaps symbolize the blood ofJesus' Passion.[citation needed]
The reverse of the painting is also painted, with a picture known asLot and His Daughters,showing a Biblical scene ofLot'sflight fromSodom.It includes a landscape and a seascape with explosions of fire in the background.[3]Since the two scenes on either side of the artwork are unrelated, it has been suggested that the paintings are intended as private devotional images, each depicting one example of a just life and God's grace.[3]Another interpretation is that the panel was originally part of adiptychshowing also the donor, with Lot and his children in the left panel.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abcd"Madonna and Child [obverse]".National Gallery of Art.Retrieved7 October2018.
- ^ADB: Anton Koberger(German biographical lexicon)
- ^ab"Lot and His Daughters [reverse]".National Gallery of Art.Retrieved7 October2018.
- Costantino Porcu, ed. (2004).Dürer.Milan: Rizzoli.
External links[edit]
