The Great Piece of Turf
by Albrecht Dürer, 1503
StyleNorthern Renaissance
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1503
- Medium
- Watercolor and gouache on paper
- Size
- 41 cm × 31.5 cm (16.1 × 12.4 in)
Cite or Embed This Work
APA · MLA · Chicago1-click academic citation and embeddable “On View” museum badge for articles, syllabi, and research.
The Great Piece of Turf (Das große Rasenstück) shows a patch of meadow grass at close range, each blade and plantain leaf painted individually. Created in 1503 by Albrecht Dürer, this watercolor transforms humble vegetation into a subject worthy of serious artistic attention. The low viewpoint places the viewer at ground level, eye-to-eye with dandelions and yarrow.
Dürer's nature studies represented a radical approach to observing the natural world. Rather than using nature merely as background, he examined it with the same attention given to human subjects. The Great Piece of Turf anticipates modern ecological thinking in its insistence that ordinary plants deserve careful study.
The watercolor is at the Albertina in Vienna.
More by Albrecht Dürer
View all →
Also at Albertina
View all →
Related Works
Works that share an artist, movement, museum, genre, palette or theme with The Great Piece of Turf.
- Same artist
- Same movement
Two squirrels
Albrecht Dürer
- Same artist
- Same movement
Albrecht Durer the Elder
Albrecht Dürer
- Same artist
- Same movement
Fencing Reiter
Albrecht Dürer
- Same movement
Dr. Johannes Cuspinian
Lucas Cranach the Elder
- Same movement
Portrait of Cardinal Albergati
Jan van Eyck
- Same movement
The Last Judgement (detail)
Hieronymus Bosch
- Same movement
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata
Jan van Eyck, 1432
- Same movement
Triptych of Last Judgement
Hieronymus Bosch
- Same movement
Christ Child with a Walking Frame
Hieronymus Bosch
- Same movement
Adam, from the left wing of the Ghent Altarpiece
Jan van Eyck
- Same movement
Johannes Reuss
Lucas Cranach the Elder
- Same movement
Portrait of Duke Johann der Bestandige of Saxony
Lucas Cranach the Elder
About The Great Piece of Turf
You can see it at Albertina in Vienna, Austria. This watercolor and gouache on paper work is part of their permanent collection. Albrecht Dürer created it around 1503.
The patch includes dandelions, yarrow, meadow grass, and plantain. Dürer rendered each species accurately enough for botanical identification. The Great Piece of Turf (Das große Rasenstück) shows a patch of meadow grass at close range, each blade and plantain leaf painted individually.
Dürer's serious treatment of ordinary vegetation was radical. He insisted that humble subjects deserved the same artistic attention as noble ones. This watercolor and gouache on paper work dates to 1503.
The watercolor measures 41 × 31.5 cm (16.1 × 12.4 inches). The substantial size allowed life-size depiction of the plants This work dates to 1503.
Own Art Like This
Luxury wall art with the same mood and energy. Gallery-quality canvas, no museum crowds.
Browse Collection