The Circumcision

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Artist Albrecht Dürer (German, May 21, 1471–April 6, 1528)

Title The Circumcision

Plate Number Plate 10

Series The Life of the Virgin

Date Ca. 1504

Medium Woodcut on paper

Dimensions Image: 11 11/16 x 8 5/16 in. (29.7 x 21.1 cm)
Sheet: 13 1/8 x 9 3/8 in. (33.3 x 23.8 cm)

Credit Line Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 63.197

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About this Work

The mohel in charge of ritual circumcisions prepares to trim Christ’s foreskin as his mother Mary looks on. Her features betray maternal concern as she anticipates the pain her infant son will experience both during the circumcision and, later, as a grown man during his crucifixion. This woodcut is one of twenty from Dürer’s Life of the Virgin, one of the three large books he published in 1511. Many of these prints were also available for individual sale, including this impression. It was also one of the first Dürer prints acquired by the university sometime between 1896 and 1902 for the fine arts department’s teaching collection.

Provenance
More Details

Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Plate Number Plate 10
Series Title The Life of the Virgin
Foreign Language Series Title Das Marienleben

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"The Circumcision | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=63.197