The Upper Section of the Right Portal, with the Inscription on a Stag Skin; a Frieze with Busts of Roman Emperors; and the Entablature of the Columns, from the Arch of Honor, proof, dated 1515, printed 1517-18
Medium
Woodcut and letterpress
Dimensions
Sheet: 18 5/16 in. × 25 in. (46.5 × 63.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.82.35
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the intricate upper section of the right from Albrecht Dürer's monumental *Arch of Honor*, proof dated 1515 and printed 1517 and 1518. This woodcut a stag skin bearing an inscription, a frieze adorned with busts of Roman emperors, the ornate entablature atop columns—elements evoking imperial grandeur and classical revival. Flanked by mythical griffins, it forms part of a colossal 36-sheet honorific arch designed to celebrate Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I blending Renaissance humanism with Northern European detail. Collaboratively crafted by Dürer, a master of woodcut whose precise line work brought unprecedented depth to prints, alongside Hieronymus Andreae and Hans Springinklee, this piece measures an impressive 18⅜ × 25 inches. The medium—woodcut for vivid imagery and letterpress for text—allowed for mass production, disseminating imperial propaganda across Europe. As a proof, it offers a rare glimpse into the refinement process of one of the largest woodcuts ever made. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this work exemplifies early 16th-century printmaking's cultural power, immortalizing Roman legacy while honoring Maximilian's reign. Visitors, marvel at how such technical innovation turned paper into a timeless monument!
About the Artist
Hieronymus Andreae|Albrecht Dürer|Hans Springinklee (German|German) · 1525 |1495 –1556 |1530
German, Bad Mergentheim ca. 1485–1556 Nuremberg|German, ca. 1495–after 1522