Virgin and Child with a Pear

Description

Virgin and Child with a Pear is a 1511 engraving by Albrecht Dürer. The subject brings Mary and the infant Christ into an intimate relationship, with the fruit named in the title adding a small, distinctive element to the familiar devotional theme. The emphasis on mother and child makes the sacred subject approachable through the language of human affection.

Dürer’s engraved line allows fine contours and closely worked shading to give the figures substance within a compact image. The pear offers a point of attention that rewards a closer look, connecting an everyday object with the larger religious subject. Virgin and Child with a Pear reflects the artist’s recurring interest in the Madonna, a theme he explored through many arrangements and small changes of setting or detail.