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Music-Making Angels by Albrecht Dürer

Music-Making Angels

Albrecht Dürer · 1521

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“This drawing captures a dynamic scene of music-making angels, showcasing the lively draftsmanship of Albrecht Dürer during his travels in the Netherlands, a period when he produced many observational works.”

ABOUT THIS WORK

In this energetic pen and ink drawing, five angels are deeply absorbed in making music. Their bodies twist and turn with the effort, their drapery swirling around them as they play a variety of instruments. One angel in the foreground leans back dramatically, vigorously bowing a stringed instrument, while another behind him blows into a wind instrument, cheeks puffed out. The detailed rendering, particularly in the angels' expressive faces and the intricate folds of their garments, shows a lively hand. This drawing was created during Albrecht Dürer's trip to the Netherlands, a period when he meticulously documented his travels and observations in a journal. The religious subject, combined with a dynamic, almost theatrical composition, reflects the artistic trends of the German Renaissance.

DETAILS
Artist
Albrecht Dürer
Date
1521
Medium
Pen and brown ink
Location
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Dimensions
6 5/8 x 8 3/4 in. (16.9 x 22.3 cm)
Collection
Drawings and Prints
Credit line
Gift of Mrs. William H. Osborn, 1961
ART MOVEMENTS
Northern Renaissance
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What to Notice

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Music-Making Angels

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01

The standing flute player

Look at the child angel at left, bare feet planted, blowing a small pipe. The rounded limbs and tilted head make the quiet focus of playing feel real.

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02

The big lute

The seated angel's lute has a wide, rounded belly shaded with curved lines. Its bulk anchors the center and shows how the angels hold real instruments.

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03

Angel standing above

One tall angel stands alone above the seated group, set against bare paper. This upright figure breaks the low mass of the crowd and caps the grouping like the peak of a pyramid.

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04

Hatching for folds

Look at the robes of the angel seated at right, whose back is turned to us. Dense parallel strokes and curved hatching build heavy folds and deep shadow using only pen lines.

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05

Date and monogram

At the bottom center, the date 1521 sits above Dürer's AD monogram. Together they work as a signature and date for this quick pen sketch.

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THE ARTIST

Albrecht Dürer

1471–1528 · Duchy of Bavaria

Renaissance master who revolutionized printmaking across Europe before turning 30.

Read Dürer’s full story
MORE FROM THIS ARTIST

Further Works by Dürer

1 / 2
Portrait of a Woman, Said to Be Caritas Pirckheimer (1467–1532) Portrait of a Woman, Said to Be Caritas Pirckheimer (1467–1532) The Metropolitan Museum of Art Saint Jerome in His Study Saint Jerome in His Study 1521 · National Museum of Ancient Art The Lamentation The Lamentation 1477 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Entombment The Entombment 1485 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Self-portrait, Study of a Hand and a Pillow (recto); Six Studies of Pillows (verso) Self-portrait, Study of a Hand and a Pillow (recto); Six Studies of Pillows (verso) 1493 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Fortuna in a Niche Fortuna in a Niche 1498 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Embroidery Pattern with Seven Six-pointed Stars and Four Corner Pieces Embroidery Pattern with Seven Six-pointed Stars and Four Corner Pieces 1500 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Virgin Appearing to Saint John, Frontispiece to the Apocalypse The Virgin Appearing to Saint John, Frontispiece to the Apocalypse 1511 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
EXPLORE THE MOVEMENT

More from Northern Renaissance

See the movement →
Christ Child with a Walking Frame Christ Child with a Walking Frame Bosch · 1480 · Kunsthistorisches Museum The Crucifixion; The Last Judgment The Crucifixion; The Last Judgment van Eyck · 1440 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
KEEP EXPLORING

More works to explore

Beyond Dürer and Northern Renaissance: works from the same years.

Two Medallions with Symbolic-Religious Representations Same era · 1500s–1530s Two Medallions with Symbolic-Religious Representations Hieronymus Bosch · 1515 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Tobias and the Angel Same era · 1500s–1530s Tobias and the Angel Titian · 1530 · Madonna dell'Orto Drunkenness of Noah Same era · 1500s–1530s Drunkenness of Noah Michelangelo · 1509 · Sistine Chapel The Transfiguration Same era · 1500s–1530s The Transfiguration Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino) · 1516 The Head of the Virgin in Three-Quarter View Facing Right Same era · 1500s–1530s The Head of the Virgin in Three-Quarter View Facing Right Leonardo da Vinci · 1510 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art The Sibyl and a Child Bearing a Torch Same era · 1500s–1530s The Sibyl and a Child Bearing a Torch Artist Unknown - The Mercat Cross, Aberdeen · 1520 · Art Institute of Chicago The Rich Man Playing Violin on a Jaw Bone Same era · 1500s–1530s The Rich Man Playing Violin on a Jaw Bone Pieter Bruegel the Elder · 1528 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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