Tournaments and Masquerades; and Maximilian's Genealogical and Heraldic Studies; with a Statue of Albrecht the Lucky; and Portraits of Maximilian's Ancestors and Relatives,from the Arch of Honor, proof, dated 1515, printed 1517-18
Medium
Woodcut and letterpress
Dimensions
Sheet: 18 3/16 × 24 7/16 in. (46.2 × 62 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928
Accession Number
28.82.31
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This monumental woodcut, titled *Tournaments and Masquerades; and Maximilian's Genealogical and Heraldic Studies; with a Statue of Albrecht the Lucky; and Portraits of Maximilian's Ancestors and Relatives*, forms part of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I's grand *Arch of Honor* (1515–18). A collaborative masterpiece by Northern Renaissance giants Albrecht Dürer, Hieronymus Andreae, Albrecht Altdorfer, and Hans Springinklee, this proof sheet captures vivid scenes of jousts, festive masquerades, heraldic symbols, and ancestral portraits, including a statue of Albrecht the Lucky. Measuring nearly two by two feet, it exemplifies the era's innovative use of woodcut and letterpress printing to create affordable, distributable "paper monuments." Commissioned as imperial propaganda, the *Arch of Honor*—a massive, 357-plate triumphal arch assembled from such prints—celebrated Maximilian's lineage and triumphs, blending chivalric fantasy with genealogy. Woodcuts, prized for their bold lines and intricate detail, allowed these artists to rival painting's grandeur on paper, making elite imagery accessible across Europe. At the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1928), this rare proof invites us to marvel at Renaissance ingenuity: how ink and wood immortalized an emperor's legacy, bridging art, history, and spectacle.
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer|Hieronymus Andreae|Albrecht Altdorfer|Hans Springinklee · 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 ...