Maximilian as Architect; with a Statue of St. Leopold; and Busts of Maximilian's Ancestors and Relatives, from the Arch of Honor, proof, dated 1515, printed 1517-18
Medium
Woodcut and letterpress
Dimensions
Sheet: 18 1/16 × 24 1/8 in. (45.8 × 61.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.82.21
Art Historical Context
Behold *Maximilian as Architect; with a Statue of St Leopold; and Busts Maximilian's Ancestors Relatives*, a striking proof from the monumental *Arch of Honor* series, dated 1515 and printed around 1517–18. This woodcut and letterpress print captures Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I a heroic pose as a grand architect, flanked by the revered statue of St. Leopold ands of his noble forebears. Commissioned by Maximilian himself, the *Arch of Honor*a massive, multi-sheet woodcut evoking a Roman triumphal arch—was a propaganda masterpiece designed to immortalize the emperor's legacy, power, and divi...