, 2008. Fibreglass stone and airplane. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 2011. Photo © Roman März](/images/content/menuSeeGallery.png)
Benjamin West
The Death of General Wolfe (Detail), 1770
oil on canvas
152.6 x 214.5 cm
Transfer from the Canadian War Memorials, 1921 (Gift of the 2nd Duke of Westminster, England, 1918)
National Gallery of Canada (no. 8007)
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The Virgin and Child with the Monkey, c. 1498
Albrecht Dürer
German, 1471
- 1528
engraving on laid paper
19.2 x 12.4 cm
Purchased 1922
National Gallery of Canada (no. 2067)
The classical features of the Virgin seem intentionally juxtaposed with the prominent Germanic river house in the background to suggest the compatibility of Italian Renaissance style with Northern traditions. Convincing volumes and surfaces are conveyed through innovative handling of the engraver’s burin. Different systems of line are developed for each form: straight ripples for the reflective water surface, short curves for the bark of the bench post, and a flowing, sinewy line for the plants. The convex and concave parts of the drapery are rendered using parallel curves perfectly “in gear” with one another. The monkey, a symbol of lewdness, greed, and gluttony, remains chained (a reference to the prison of bodily pleasures), while the bird representing the soul is a voluntary captive of the Saviour.
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St. George on Foot
The Holy Family with Three Hares
The Adoration of the Shepherds
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