The Small Crucifixion ("The Pommel of Emperor Maximilian")

1519·Engraving in black on ivory laid paper·Sheet: 3.6 × 3.6 cm (1 7/16 × 1 7/16 in.)

<p>Albrecht Dürer engraved this Crucifixion scene on a small golden plate, which likely decorated the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian’s hat or sword hilt. The backward letters <em>INRI</em> (identifying Christ as the so-called King of the Jews) and the switched placement of Mary and John suggest that this impression was pulled from such a plate, the image appearing in reverse as a result of the printing process. Considering the softness of precious metals, gold plates were primarily intended as jewelry rather than as printing matrices. Dürer’s early training with his goldsmith father likely influenced his skill with the burin, especially on this minute scale.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1519
Medium: Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: Sheet: 3.6 × 3.6 cm (1 7/16 × 1 7/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Albrecht Dürer

Artist

Albrecht Dürer

Painting

Albrecht Dürer, sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints. He was in contact with the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, and from 1512 was patronized by Emperor Maximilian I.

Nuremberg, Germany

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