Hans Burgkmair the Elder
German, 1473-1531
Equestrian Portrait of the Emperor Maximilian I
INV-1279
Hans Burgkmair the Elder
German, 1473-15311508
Equestrian Portrait of the Emperor Maximilian I
Hans Burgkmair the Elder German, 1473-1531 →woodcutprint
Date
1508
Medium
Woodcut from two blocks in black and gold on vellum
Dimensions
Image: 31.8 × 22.5 cm (12 9/16 × 8 7/8 in.); Sheet: 32.3 × 23.5 cm (12 3/4 × 9 5/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection
This unique woodcut is printed in black and powdered gold inks on vellum. It may be the most opulent result of the Emperor Maximilian’s competition with Elector Frederick the Wise of Saxony and his court artist, Lucas Cranach. That contest produced an early form of chiaroscuro printing, a technique using black line blocks and colored tone or blocks for lighting effects. Indeed, as the only known impression of the Equestrian Portrait printed in black and gold on vellum, the Chicago print may well be the dedication impression sent to Frederick.
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