Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer (1471 - Nuremberg - 1528) - The coat of arms with the skull
Copper engraving on laid paper with watermark "Hohe Krone" (Meder watermark 20). (1503). 22 x 15.7 cm (sheet size).
Bartsch 101; Meder 98 I a (of II d); Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 37 I a (of II d).
Brilliant, deep black and high-contrast early impression with rich burr effect. Before the strong glitters beside the coat of arms and with the early watermark desired for lifetime impressions. Trimmed to the framing line, with a fine margin at the top.
Due to its decorative richness, exciting composition and engraving brilliance, the sheet is one of Dürer's main graphic sheets. It shows a young Nuremberg patrician woman in a dancing dress and with a bridal crown, beset by a shaggy-haired, wild man who seems to have forgotten his task as the holder of a coat of arms for the moment. In view of the magnificent helmet, the straps of which she holds firmly in her grip, she puts up with his intrusiveness: Her gaze rests pleasingly on the suitor's coat of arms, but its front with the skull remains hidden from her. In the depiction, various motifs, such as the mismatched couple, death and the girl and the futility of human status symbols, merge into an impressive memento mori. - A few inconspicuous stains, a carefully repaired tiny loss at the upper right edge, otherwise in very good condition.
Rarely so beautiful!
Exhibition:
Mémoires du futur, la collection Olbricht; Maison Rouge-Fondation Antoine de Galbert, Paris, France, October 22, 2011 to January 15, 2012.Provenance:
Dr. Edgar Paltzer (1910-1993) and Elisabeth Charlotte Paltzer (1916-1990), Basel and New York, stamped on verso (Lugt 4262);
Galerie Kornfeld, Bern, stock catalog 2003. the history of graphic art from 1430 to 1990 in selected works, 23 September to 29 November 2003, lot 18.Taxation: differential taxation (VAT: Margin Scheme)ne ony lots.
