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Madonna with the Monkey

Madonna with the Monkey

Artist/Maker (German, 1471–1528)
Dateca. 1498
MediumEngraving
DimensionsImage: 7 7/16 × 4 3/4 in. (18.9 × 12.1 cm)
Sheet: 7 9/16 × 4 7/8 in. (19.2 × 12.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Max Kade Foundation
Object number1967.37
Status
Not on view
More Information
The lucid composition and coherency of line evident in this print are evidence of marked changes in Dürer's style, made after his visit to Italy in 1494-5. The monkey that figures in the title of this print, here shown tethered to the gate to the left of Mary and Jesus, has commonly been interpreted as a sign of evil. Paired with the Virgin Mary, the animal references the figure of Eve, whose original sin contrasts with the Virgin Mary's purity.
Exhibition History
Prints by Albrecht Durer
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (April 3, 1971 - May 5, 1971 )
Durer's Cities: Nuremberg and Venice
  • University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor, MI (September 19, 1971 - October 17, 1971 )
Northern Renaissance Prints and Drawings
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (November 6, 1990 - January 27, 1991 )
German Renaissance Prints 1470-1550
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (August 27, 1999 - January 30, 2000 )
Printing Practice: Religious Prints from the Renaissance
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (September 6, 2012 - December 23, 2012 )
Collections
  • European
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