Virgin and Child

This pearwood statuette representing the Virgin and Child is made by David Degler (ca. 1600-1682) in Germany (Augsburg) in ca. 1660-1670. The composition of this carved statuette is based on an engraving by Albrecht Dürer. During the seventeenth century prints by Dürer were employed by sculptors to create precious small-scale objects in a retrospective style, mainly for cabinets of curiosities.

Duerer (1471-1528) was a German painter, draughtsman, printmaker and writer. Now considered by many scholars the greatest of all German artists, he not only executed paintings and drawings of the highest quality but also made a major contribution to the development of printmaking, especially engraving, and to the study of anthropometry.