Coat of Arms of Maximilian I as King of the Romans
c. 1517
Medium
Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 23.3 × 15 cm (9 3/16 × 5 15/16 in.); Sheet: 26.4 × 17.3 cm (10 7/16 × 6 13/16 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
2296
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer, the masterful German artist of the Northern Renaissance, created this striking woodcut around 1517, capturing the majestic Coat of Arms of Maximilian as King of the Romans Printed in bold black ink on fine ivory laid paper, the image (23.3 × 15 cm) exemplifies Dürer's revolutionary approach to printmaking. Woodcuts, carved into wood blocks and pressed onto paper, allowed for detailed, reproducible art that democratized fine imagery during the Renaissance, bridging elite patronage with wider audiences. Maximilian I (1459–1519), elected King of the Romans in 1486 and crowned Hol...
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...