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The Arms of the Family Kress von Kressenstein

A work made of woodcut on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of woodcut on ivory laid paper.

Date:

after 1530

Artist:

Nuremberg School
German, 16th century

About this artwork

The authorship of this massive and vivid woodcut coat of arms has long eluded scholars. The crowning peacock feathers are an armorial augmentation bestowed on the family by Emperor Charles V in 1530. They prove that the famous Albrecht Dürer, who died in 1528, did not create the print. Indeed, the Nuremberg Kress family likely commissioned this ephemeral shield from one of his followers. The print was meant to be painted; the Kress heraldic colors included red, silver, and black. The dagger superimposed on the main shield would have been particularly striking against a rich red and silver filigreed backdrop.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Nuremberg School

Title

The Arms of the Family Kress von Kressenstein

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.

1530–1600

Medium

Woodcut on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

32.2 × 27 cm (12 11/16 × 10 11/16 in.)

Credit Line

Clarence Buckingham Collection

Reference Number

1929.319

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/2292/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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