Joachim and the Angel

One of 19 superb woodcuts designed by Albrecht Dürer for his Life of the Virgin series. He designed the bulk of the cuts between 1502 and 1505 and, in 1511, published the set in book form with a Latin text and frontispiece. This print has Latin text on the reverse indicating it is from the 1511 edition.

In this scene, an angel appears to Joachim in the desert announcing that his wife, Anne, will soon become pregnant with the Virgin Mary.