Jorg Kölderer

German, active 1497 - 1540

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A stepped, ornately decorated structure made up of forty-four individual woodcuts and etchings printed with black ink on ivory-white paper fills this vertical composition. The structure has a tall central tower flanked by two shorter towers on each side. All three have an arched opening at the bottom. The outer towers are then flanked by three columns. Almost every inch of the structure is densely covered with architectural ornaments, coats of arms, Gothic text, and panels showing scenes with people in interiors or huge crowds in landscapes. Some scenes show soldiers engaged in battle, groups of kings and clergy, or individual men. Architectural ornament includes mythical creatures, gargoyles, saints, kings, and cherubs. The arched openings are tall and narrow, and have checkered floors. Words in elaborate Latin script appear inside the top of each of the three arches. Two ringed-tailed creatures resembling monkeys prowl outside the central arch. Two shallow steps lead down from the structure to five panels that line the base of the composition. Those five panels are filled with Gothic text. The date, "1515," appears at the base of the outermost column to each side.
Albrecht Dürer, Wolf Traut, Hans Springinklee, Albrecht Altdorfer, Adam von Bartsch, The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian, 1515 (1799 edition), 42 woodcuts and 2 etchings on laid paper assembled to form one image, Gift of David P. Tunick and Elizabeth S. Tunick, in honor of the appointment of Andrew Robison as Andrew W. Mellon Senior Curator, 1991.200.1

The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian

Albrecht Dürer, Wolf Traut, Hans Springinklee, Albrecht Altdorfer, Adam von Bartsch · 1515 (1799 edition) · 42 woodcuts and 2 etchings on laid paper assembled to form one image ·  Accession ID  1991.200.1