The Madonna of the Iris, c.1500/10 by Albrecht Dürer Canvas Print - 19779-DUA
Location: National Gallery, London, UK Original Size: 149.2 × 117.2 cm
The Madonna of the Iris by Dürer (c.1500/10) is reproduced as a museum-quality giclée canvas print. Printed with archival inks on 400 g/m² canvas and hand-varnished for UV protection, it can be made in any size up to 50.8 × 41.2 in, scaled proportionally, with optional framing. Free worldwide shipping available; unframed prints ship in 2 workdays, framed in 7 to 8. Guaranteed 100-year color durability.
You can add a frame in Customize Your Print below: open the Frame tab and choose a profile. Framing is available while the long side of the print is no more than 28", a limit set by the couriers. If your size is larger, move the slider down and the frames become available.
We stretch the canvas on stretcher bars, build the frame to your size and attach a hanger, so the print arrives ready to hang. Canvas is framed without glass, like a painting, so its texture stays visible. Framed prints are made in 7 to 8 workdays. Once a frame is chosen, you can also add a mat.
Have a frame of your own? Choose Stretched: the canvas comes on stretcher bars only, with a cord for hanging.
Every frame is made to measure, so framed prints are not part of our 30-day returns. If one arrives damaged, we replace it. More about framing.
Mat
A mat is the border between the print and the frame. On canvas it is a liner: a narrow profile of solid wood or polystyrene that sits inside the frame, adds depth and gives the image a quiet margin. It is optional.
You can add one in Customize Your Print below, in the Mat tab. The tab appears once you have chosen a frame, because a mat always sits inside one. A mat makes the framed piece larger by twice its width in each direction: each option shows its width, and the Framed Size in Your Selection above updates as you choose. More about mats.
Rolled
Your print is shipped rolled in a protective tube, unstretched and unframed. Around the image we leave 1.2 in of blank canvas on every side, so any local framer can stretch it on stretcher bars and frame it to your taste.
Prefer it ready to hang? Choose a frame, or Stretched for stretcher bars without a frame, in Customize Your Print below.
Sizes scale proportionally to the original. Dimensions shown are for the printed area - we always add 1.2 in of blank canvas on every side for stretching.
The size you set is the printed image, the part you see once the canvas is stretched. Beyond that size we add 1.2 in of blank canvas on every side, at no extra cost, so the stretcher bars have something to grip. A 21.7 × 17.6 in print therefore arrives as 24 × 19.9 in. Both numbers are shown in Your Selection above and change with the slider.
Yes. The slider covers every size up to 50.8 × 41.2 in, always in the proportions of the original. If you need something larger, or a size that has to fit a frame you already own, write to us with the title and the dimensions and we will tell you what is possible. Every print is made to order, so there is usually a way.
Because the original is an oil painting on canvas. We match the print medium to the original: oil paintings go on canvas, works on paper go on fine art paper. Our canvas is natural cotton, 400 g/m² Canvas, acid-free and pH neutral, and its woven texture gives the most natural impression of Dürer's original oil painting. The finish is satin/gloss, which keeps the depth of the dark tones the way varnish does on a painting in a museum; a matte canvas looks dull and pale next to it. More about our print media.
Start with the original, which measures 149.2 × 117.2 cm. A print at or near that size reads the way the artist judged it. Printing smaller is easy; enlarging a small original changes its character. For the wall, above a sofa or a sideboard aim for two thirds to three quarters of the furniture width, and hang the center at eye level. Cut paper to size and tape it to the wall before you order. The original hangs in National Gallery, London, UK. Full size guide.
30-day returns on unframed prints. Shipping, framing, care and returns are covered in our Help & FAQ.
About the Painting
Dürer's "The Madonna with the Iris" - a work that beautifully captures the artist's evolving sensibilities at the dawn of the 16th century.
Dürer's Madonna sits before us, a vision in vermilion and crimson. These bold hues dominate the canvas, wrapping mother and child in a cocoon of warmth. It's a striking choice, one that immediately draws the eye and speaks to Dürer's masterful understanding of color's emotional impact.
The composition is deceptively simple at first glance. Mary and the Christ child form a stable triangle, a classic arrangement. But look closer, and you'll see how Dürer subverts expectations. The crumbling arch behind them hints at impermanence, while the meticulously rendered plants - irises, grapevines, even humble weeds - surge with life. It's a juxtaposition of the eternal and the ephemeral.
Dürer's technique here is nothing short of extraordinary. The play of light on fabric, the delicate modeling of flesh - it all speaks to his rigorous study of the natural world. Yet there's a softness, too. Mary's face holds a quiet introspection, her gaze turned inward as she cradles her child. It's a deeply human moment, devoid of overt religiosity.
What fascinates me is how Dürer navigates between Northern and Italian artistic traditions. The attention to botanical detail is pure Northern Renaissance, while the pyramidal composition nods to his Italian contemporaries. It's a harmonious fusion, creating something uniquely Dürer.
The painting invites prolonged contemplation. Each element - from the symbolic iris to the glimpse of landscape beyond the arch - adds layers of meaning. Yet it never feels overburdened. Dürer has achieved that rare balance of intellectual depth and emotional resonance.
In the end, "The Madonna with the Iris" stands as a testament to Dürer's evolving artistry. It's a work that bridges worlds - sacred and profane, North and South - while remaining deeply rooted in the artist's own distinctive vision. A true masterpiece of the early Renaissance.
