The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, from The Life of the Virgin

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, from The Life of the Virgin by Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528, is a pivotal work created around 1505. This highly detailed impression, executed as a woodcut in black on tan laid paper, showcases the technical brilliance that defined the German Renaissance. Dürer’s mastery of the difficult woodcut medium allowed him to achieve unprecedented detail and tonal range in printmaking, elevating the classification of the print from mere illustration to high art.

This scene captures the moment Mary and Joseph bring the infant Christ into the temple, where he is met by Simeon, who recognizes the child’s divinity. Dürer expertly utilizes dramatic lighting and detailed classical architectural elements to frame the sacred transaction, emphasizing the solemnity of the event central to Christian devotion. The figures are rendered with characteristic anatomical precision, demonstrating the profound Italian Renaissance influence Dürer integrated into his output in Germany. Unlike earlier medieval woodcuts, this piece uses dense cross-hatching to create sophisticated volumetric shading and atmospheric depth, transforming the two-dimensional print surface into a detailed narrative scene.

The entire Life of the Virgin series cemented Dürer’s international reputation as a foundational figure in the history of prints. Produced in 1505, these high-quality woodcuts circulated widely, disseminating Dürer’s unique fusion of Northern intensity and Southern classical rigor across Europe and establishing new standards for artistic print production. This exemplary impression of Dürer's landmark work, The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, is held within the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.