The Standard Bearer
c. 1500
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/sheet: 11.6 × 7.1 cm (4 5/8 × 2 13/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
28289
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Dürer’s iconic standard bearer hoists a flag emblazoned with diagonally crossed branches and double fire steels in the shape of the letter B, for the French region of Burgundy. These symbols suggest he is an infantry soldier fighting Italy or France for Maximilian I, the Burgundian ruler and Holy Roman emperor, later Dürer’s patron. With skintight hose, a fabric codpiece, slashed sleeves, jaunty feathers, and an antagonistically raised eyebrow, he defies any attempt to capture his flag.
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 ...