326 - Albrecht Dürer (1471 - Nuremberg - 1528), The Knight and the Lansquenet.

Albrecht Dürer (1471 - Nuremberg - 1528), The Knight and the Lansquenet. Woodcut on laid paper. (c. 1496). 39.2 x 28.1 cm (sheet). Bartsch 131; Meder 265 II b-c (of II d); Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 106 II b-c (of II d). Provenance: Unidentified collector’s mark verso (not in Lugt). A good strong impression, with the crack running from the lower edge to the hind hoof of the horse, but before the crack extending across the horse's leg. Trimmed within the borderline.The subject of this important woodcut from Dürer's first post-Italian period has long remained unidentified. An important clue to its interpretation is provided by an anonymous Nuremberg panel fragment of the early sixteenth century, which reproduces the composition almost identically. Although the rider and horse are shown in a slightly different pose rather than in strict profile, the Landsknecht is copied in remarkable detail, including his costume and weaponry, and even the small galloping dog reappears. – With a tiny brown spot. A short, closed tear at the upper edge. Occasional abrasions and areas of paper thinning in the margins, all backed. A restored paper loss in the lower margin, backed and skilfully retouched into the image. The lower right corner with a backed paper loss. A short, closed tear at the lower edge, and another above the stone in the lower right. Taxation: differenzbesteuert (VAT: Margin Scheme).