German artist Albrecht Dürer, sometimes spelled Durer or Duerer, painted his mother (about age 39) and father (around 63) before setting out on his travels as a journeyman artist. Both panels remained the personal property of Dürer until his death. In 1628, the Medici acquired the portrait of the father for their collection. The portrait of the mother, was not identified as such until 1977. Barbara Holper was the daughter of Hieronymus Holper, under whom Albrecht the Elder served his apprenticeship as a goldsmith. The two men became friends, and when she came of age Holper gave his daughter into marriage when Dürer senior was 40 and she was 15. Their son's writings detail their difficult lives and many setbacks; only 3 of their 18 children survived into adulthood – 17 of whom had been born by the time of this portrait. After her husband died Barbara was destitute and went to live with her son. After she in turn died in 1514, her son wrote "This my pious Mother ... often had the plague and many other severe and strange illnesses, and she suffered great poverty, scorn, contempt, mocking words, terrors, and great adversities. Yet she bore no malice. Also she died hard ... I felt so grieved for her that I cannot express it." Barbara wears a red dress and a matte white bonnet, fully covering her hair, indicating her marital status. Her headdress is draped with a long scarf stretching down her neck and across her left shoulder. The lines of her face contain touches of white paint for a highlighting and enlivening effect — especially evident around her eyes, the bridge of her nose, and her upper lip. Barbara was attractive in her youth; her son described her as having been "comely and of erect bearing". However, by the time of this portrait the effects of time and losing so many children weigh heavily on her face. At some point, the panel was cut down on the left side, shifting the compositional balance and removing a portion of her shoulder and headdress.
Bildnis von Barbara Dürer, geb. Holper (Portrait of Dürer’s Mother, née Holper) by Albrecht Dürer (German) - Oil on wood / c. 1490 - Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg, Germany) #womeninart #mother #art #AlbrechtDürer #AlbrechtDuerer #mom #GermanischesNationalmuseum #womensart #portraitofawoman
