Virgin and Child with a Pear, copy

Description

Virgin and Child with a Pear, copy is an undated engraving after Albrecht Dürer. The mother-and-child subject is distinguished by the pear, a small detail that gives this devotional composition its particular identity. The copy designation preserves the difference between this work and Dürer’s own treatment of the theme.

The scene’s appeal rests on the closeness of its central figures and the way a familiar object becomes part of a sacred image. Engraved line translates that relationship into contours and tonal passages suited to close viewing. Virgin and Child with a Pear, copy also records the continued appeal of Dürer’s Madonna compositions to other makers. The Metropolitan Museum of Art catalogs this example as after Dürer rather than assigning its execution to him.