Young Bull
c. 1496, erroneously inscribed in another hand 1508
Medium
Pen and black ink on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
17.5 × 14 cm (6 15/16 × 5 9/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23506
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer's *Young Bull*, created around 1496, exemplifies the artist's early mastery of naturalistic observation during his formative years in Nuremberg. At just 25, Dürer was already traveling through Europe, honing his skills in capturing the living world with unprecedented precision. This pen and black ink drawing on ivory laid paper measures a modest 17.5 × 14 cm, yet its intimate scale invites close inspection, revealing the bull's textured hide, alert posture, and muscular form rendered with fluid, economical lines. Dürer's Northern Renaissance style shines here through his meticu...
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 ...