Macht van de Dood
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
77; 51
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
height 77 mm x width 51 mm
Art Historical Context
Heinrich Aldegrever's *Macht van de Dood* (Power of Death), created in 1541, is a striking engraving from the Northern Renaissance, measuring just 77 mm high by 51 mm wide. Aldegrever, a German goldsmith and engraver from Soest (c. 1502–1555/61), belonged to the renowned "Little Masters"—artists celebrated for their virtuosic small-scale prints. This diminutive work exemplifies his skill in capturing profound themes within intimate formats, making art accessible to collectors across Europe. Engraving, Aldegrever's preferred medium, involved incising fine lines into a copper plate with a burin...
About the Artist
Heinrich Aldegrever · 1502–1561
Heinrich Aldegrever, born in 1502 in Paderborn, Westphalia, to parents Herman and Katherine Trippenmeker—a family of clog-makers known by the dialect name Trippenmecker—emerged as a multifaceted artist in the German Renaissance. His early training remains undocumented, though he likely apprenticed in a Soest goldsmith's workshop after relocating there around 1525, where he joined the painters' gui...