The Circumcision

Albrecht Durer was the greatest and most innovative printmaker of the Renaissance. A native of Nuremberg, Germany, he had established an international reputation by the beginning of the sixteenth century with the publication of three woodcut series, including the Life of the Virgin. In Durer's hands the woodcut came to rival the technique of engraving in its subtle modeling and intricate detail. The narrative sophistication of his prints repaid extended contemplation on the part of the viewer, and his work was avidly collected by connoisseurs and widely copied by contemporary artists.