The Siege of a Fortress
n.d.
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
sheet: 8 7/8 x 13 1/2 in. (22.5 x 34.2 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Junius Spencer Morgan, 1919
Accession Number
19.73.225
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer's *The Siege of a Fortress is a masterful woodcut captures the chaos and intensity of Renaissance-era warfare. Created by the renowned German artist (1471–1528), a pioneer of Northern Renaissance printmaking, this undated print exemplifies Dürer's extraordinary skill in transforming the humble woodcut medium into a vehicle for intricate detail and dramatic storytelling. Measuring 8 7/8 x 13 1/2 inches, it depicts a bustling siege scene alive with soldiers, cannons, flags, and weapons, evoking the tactical fervor of 16th-century European conflicts. Dürer's woodcuts were revoluti...
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 ...