Tuft of Cowslips

A small clump of cowslips rises from a patch of dark earth, its green leaves spreading beneath clusters of yellow blossoms, rendered with careful botanical precision and bearing the date 1526. The piece, titled Tuft of Cowslips, was created that same year in gouache on vellum and is held today at the National Gallery of Art, having come to the museum through the Armand Hammer Collection. It is the work of Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), a German artist associated with the German Renaissance, whose achievements also include the engraving Adam and Eve. Looking closely, the roots and soil at the base of the plant show as much attention as the blossoms above, giving the humble wildflower an almost scientific sense of presence and weight on the page.