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Equestrian Portrait of the Emperor Maximilian I

A work made of woodcut from two blocks in black and gold on vellum.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of woodcut from two blocks in black and gold on vellum.

Date:

1508

Artist:

Hans Burgkmair the Elder
German, 1473-1531

About this artwork

This unique woodcut is printed in black and powdered gold inks on vellum. It may be the most opulent result of the Emperor Maximilian’s competition with Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony and his court artist, Lucas Cranach. That contest produced an early form of chiaroscuro printing, a technique using black line blocks and colored tone or blocks for lighting effects. Indeed, as the only known impression of the Equestrian Portrait printed in black and gold on vellum, the Chicago print may well be the dedication impression sent to Frederick.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Hans Burgkmair, the elder

Title

Equestrian Portrait of the Emperor Maximilian I

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1508

Medium

Woodcut from two blocks in black and gold on vellum

Inscriptions

Signed recto lower right, in black block, in image: “. H . BURGKMAIR”; dated in image on scroll: “1508”; inscribed upper center, in image under arch: “. IMP.CAES.MAXIMIL.AUG”

Dimensions

Image: 31.8 × 22.5 cm (12 9/16 × 8 7/8 in.); Sheet: 32.3 × 23.5 cm (12 3/4 × 9 5/16 in.)

Credit Line

Clarence Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1961.3

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/12791/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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