Emperor Maximilian I

1519

Hans Weiditz, II, after Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Hans Weiditz, II

Artist, German, 1500 or before - c. 1536

Albrecht Dürer

Artist After, German, 1471 - 1528

The image shows a bust of a man in a three-quarter profile, facing to the left. The man's head and upper body are visible, including his shoulders. He is depicted in a seated or standing position. His facial features are characterized by a prominent nose, thick lips, and heavy-lidded eyes. The man has medium-length hair, falling to just above his shoulders, with a wave or curl at the ends. He is wearing an elaborate outfit, richly decorated with intricate patterns, and a high collar with a chain of large, square links draped across his chest. On his head rests a broad-brimmed hat with an ornate badge at the center. The background is detailed, featuring heraldic imagery such as a double-headed eagle crowned with a grand emblem, flanked by two mythical griffins perched upon ornately carved columns. Latin text is inscribed on either side of the figure's head.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 54.7 × 38.1 cm (21 9/16 × 15 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2015.191.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder 1932, no. 255, 4, State ii c/ii d

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Private collection, Bavaria. (sale, Karl & Faber, Munich, 8 May 2015, no. 185); (via C. G. Boerner, New York); purchased 2015 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2022

  • The Renaissance in the North: New Prints and Perspectives, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2022.

Bibliography

1802

  • Bartsch, Adam. Le peintre graveur. 21 vols. Vienna, 1802-1821: Adam. Le peintre graveur. 21 vols. Vienna: J.V. Degen, 1802-1821: no. 153

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971: no. 255, 4, ii c/ii d

Inscriptions

in center of image: IMPERATOR CAESAR / DIVVS MAXI MILIANVS / PIVS FELIX AVGVSTVS. (Emperor, Caesar, Divine Maximilian Pious Propitious August); across lower center below image: Der Teür Fürst Kayser Maximilianus ist auff den XII tag des Jenners seins alters im / lix Jar seligklich von dyser zeyt geschaiden. Anno domini 1519; lower right in image: AD (in monogram)

Watermarks

crowned arms with pinecone and HH (Meder 183, c. 1600)

Wikidata ID

Q77015623

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