The artwork titled “Virgin Mary suckling the Christ Child” is a creation of the renowned artist Albrecht Dürer from the year 1512. This piece, executed in charcoal, belongs to the Northern Renaissance art movement. As a religious painting, it reflects the devotional subject matter typical of the period. The original artwork is housed at the Albertina museum in Vienna, Austria.
In the drawing, we see a detailed and delicate depiction of the Virgin Mary with the Christ Child. Mary is portrayed in profile, looking down tenderly at the infant Jesus, who is suckling at her breast. Dürer’s use of charcoal allows for a dynamic range of shading and texture, giving depth to the drapery of Mary’s clothing and to the softness of the child’s form. The intimacy of the scene captures a motherly moment that is both serene and sacred. Dürer’s precision in the rendering of their facial expressions, as well as his attention to the details of Mary’s headdress and necklace, illustrate the artist’s remarkable skill in capturing both human emotion and material textures. The monogram ‘AD’ and the year ‘1512’ can be seen inscribed at the top of the drawing, confirming its authenticity and date.
