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DÜRER, Albrecht. Ehrenpforte. Arc triomphal de l'empereur Maximilien I ... d'aprs les dessins d'Albert Durer. Edited by Adam Bartsch. Vienna: widow of Alberti for T. Mollo, 1799.
2o (665 x 483 mm). Double-page letterpress title and "avertissement" leaf. 50 numbered woodcuts on 43 double-page sheets, the first 5 sheets comprising the legend by Stabius, the last sheet also containing 3 woodcut inscriptions numbered 51-53, the entire design made up from 174 original blocks, and 18 etchings by Bartsch on 3 sheets. Double-page letterpress "avis au relieur" at end. (Some minor browning.) Contemporary diced russia gilt (rebacked, wear to edges.) Provenance: acquired from Ars Libri, 1981.
Fourth impression, produced under the supervision of Adam Bartsch. PRINTED FROM THE ORIGINAL 16TH-CENTURY BLOCKS, now preserved at the Albertina Museum, Vienna. The work was intended for assembly, as a gigantic wall print measuring approximately 3.5 x 3 meters (11 x 9 feet). Andrea Mantegna had started the print-making fashion for pictorial compositions in multiple scenes. Maximilian, an impulsive, generous and patriarchal ruler, conscious of the grandeur of the Hapsburgs but constantly short of money, had no funds to hold a triumphal procession or erect a triumphal arch in stone. His place in the imperial Roman tradition was nevertheless guaranteed through the truly monumental scale of these purely imaginary compositions on paper. The Triumphal Arch was originally conceived by the Tyrolean court painter and architect, Jörg Kolderer, as a miniature. Under the direction of the Emperor, Johannes Stabius provided the program of the whole arch and the five sheets of prose commentary at the foot. Dürer supervised the execution of the multi-block print and also contributed ornamental details (see Strauss p. 504). The 192 blocks (174 survived) of varying size were cut in the workshop of Hieronymus Andreä in Nuremberg. Although probably conceived in 1512, the project was not completed till August or September 1517, despite the date of 1515 on the base of the arch. A large part of the design was the work of Dürer's assistants, Springinklee and Traut. The arch is divided into three portals, "Fame" and "Nobility'" flanking the center-gate of "Honor and Might." The mid-section of the edifice is reserved for the genealogy of the House of Hapsburg, and includes 57 heraldic shields. Twenty-four panels above the two minor portals depict Maximilian's political history, while the two flanking turrets, whose design is attributed to Altdorfer, celebrate Maximilian's accomplishments. These include his ability to speak seven languages, his prowess in the chase, familiarity with artillery, and his presentation of a Chapel to the Order of St. George. The arms of Kolderer, Stabius and Dürer appear in the bottom right hand corner of the woodcut. Editions were published in 1517-1518, 1526-1528, and 1559. The fourth impression of 1799 was printed from 174 surviving blocks and 18 etchings by Bartsch to replace the missing blocks; the Dürer block of the Burgundian Wedding was replaced by an earlier block of Springinklee. The "avis au relieur" at the end is, in fact, a ground plan showing how this unique arch should be assembled. Dodgson I, p. 311/130-136; Hollstein VII, Dürer 251; Meder Dürer 251 (p. 215); Strauss Dürer Woodcuts 175.
2o (665 x 483 mm). Double-page letterpress title and "avertissement" leaf. 50 numbered woodcuts on 43 double-page sheets, the first 5 sheets comprising the legend by Stabius, the last sheet also containing 3 woodcut inscriptions numbered 51-53, the entire design made up from 174 original blocks, and 18 etchings by Bartsch on 3 sheets. Double-page letterpress "avis au relieur" at end. (Some minor browning.) Contemporary diced russia gilt (rebacked, wear to edges.) Provenance: acquired from Ars Libri, 1981.
Fourth impression, produced under the supervision of Adam Bartsch. PRINTED FROM THE ORIGINAL 16TH-CENTURY BLOCKS, now preserved at the Albertina Museum, Vienna. The work was intended for assembly, as a gigantic wall print measuring approximately 3.5 x 3 meters (11 x 9 feet). Andrea Mantegna had started the print-making fashion for pictorial compositions in multiple scenes. Maximilian, an impulsive, generous and patriarchal ruler, conscious of the grandeur of the Hapsburgs but constantly short of money, had no funds to hold a triumphal procession or erect a triumphal arch in stone. His place in the imperial Roman tradition was nevertheless guaranteed through the truly monumental scale of these purely imaginary compositions on paper. The Triumphal Arch was originally conceived by the Tyrolean court painter and architect, Jörg Kolderer, as a miniature. Under the direction of the Emperor, Johannes Stabius provided the program of the whole arch and the five sheets of prose commentary at the foot. Dürer supervised the execution of the multi-block print and also contributed ornamental details (see Strauss p. 504). The 192 blocks (174 survived) of varying size were cut in the workshop of Hieronymus Andreä in Nuremberg. Although probably conceived in 1512, the project was not completed till August or September 1517, despite the date of 1515 on the base of the arch. A large part of the design was the work of Dürer's assistants, Springinklee and Traut. The arch is divided into three portals, "Fame" and "Nobility'" flanking the center-gate of "Honor and Might." The mid-section of the edifice is reserved for the genealogy of the House of Hapsburg, and includes 57 heraldic shields. Twenty-four panels above the two minor portals depict Maximilian's political history, while the two flanking turrets, whose design is attributed to Altdorfer, celebrate Maximilian's accomplishments. These include his ability to speak seven languages, his prowess in the chase, familiarity with artillery, and his presentation of a Chapel to the Order of St. George. The arms of Kolderer, Stabius and Dürer appear in the bottom right hand corner of the woodcut. Editions were published in 1517-1518, 1526-1528, and 1559. The fourth impression of 1799 was printed from 174 surviving blocks and 18 etchings by Bartsch to replace the missing blocks; the Dürer block of the Burgundian Wedding was replaced by an earlier block of Springinklee. The "avis au relieur" at the end is, in fact, a ground plan showing how this unique arch should be assembled. Dodgson I, p. 311/130-136; Hollstein VII, Dürer 251; Meder Dürer 251 (p. 215); Strauss Dürer Woodcuts 175.