32 - Leonhard Beck - Archduke Maximilian learning French from his wife Marie of Burgundy - C.1515

Leonhard Beck - Archduke Maximilian learning French from his wife Marie of Burgundy - C.1515 Description: Archeduke Maximilian I sitting in a garden with his wife Mary of Burgundy, teaching each other their respective languages. Woodcut from 'Der Weisskunig' or The White King, a chivalric novel and thinly disguised biography of the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I, (1486–1519) written in German by Maximilian and his secretary between 1505 and 1516. Although not explicitly identified as such in the book, Maximilian appears as the "young" White King, with his father Frederick III represented as the "old" White King. The book is now mainly remembered for the 251 exquisite woodcut illustrations, made in Augsburg between 1514 and 1516, with Hans Burgkmair the Elder and Leonhard Beck as the main artists. This one by Leonhard Beck (c.1480-1542). Impression from the re-discovered blocks in 1775. Dimensions: 22,00 x 19,50 cm Condition: A very good strong impression with wide margins on watermarked laid paper. In excellent condition. Literature: Hollstein 73 (55). Medium: Engraving Date: 1514-1516