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Albrecht DürerThe Large Horse by Albrecht Dürer1505
1505
About the Item
Albrecht Dürer
1471-1528 German
The Large Horse
Dated in the plate on upper margin at center; monogrammed in the plate lower right: AD
Meder state e (of f)
Copperplate engraving on laid paper
“Whatever was mortal in Albrecht Dürer lies beneath this mound.” — Albrecht Dürer’s epitaph
Widely regarded as the greatest engraver in history, Albrecht Dürer revolutionized the art form by infusing it with unparalleled naturalism and technical mastery, a legacy that remains unsurpassed. His engraving The Large Horse reflects his lifelong fascination with ideal beauty, naturalism and proportion. Influenced by the Italian Renaissance masters, including Pisanello, Donatello, Mantegna and Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer presents a monumental horse in a strikingly foreshortened pose, its powerful hindquarters closest to the viewer.
Standing with its rear legs slightly raised on a narrow ledge, the horse’s muscular form is accentuated by the artist’s meticulous rendering of sinew, coat texture and the finely curled hairs of its mane and tail. The animal's bridle is held by a partially obscured warrior, who strides forward behind it while carrying a vertical pike. A textured wall with vegetation and a column bearing the legs of a statue serves as the backdrop, enhancing the composition’s depth.
The large, bridled horse represents intellect’s victory over raw power, brought under control through discipline and mastery. Its tail is doubly knotted, reinforcing this theme of restraint. The armored warrior holding the bridle smiles victoriously as he strides forward. His ornate helmet is surmounted by a dolphin—considered the most intelligent of sea creatures.
Horses appear frequently in Dürer’s engravings, often serving as studies in movement and proportion or as symbolic figures. Here, Dürer takes a naturalistic approach, meticulously rendering every detail through finely detailed shading. The result is both a striking portrait of a powerful yet docile creature and a testament to Dürer’s exceptional skill in the copper engraving medium.
Albrecht Dürer, born in Nuremberg in 1471, is regarded as the most influential artist of the Northern Renaissance. Early in his career, Dürer apprenticed with his father, a goldsmith, and later with Michael Wolgemut, whose workshop introduced him to woodcut illustration. Fascinated by the Italian Renaissance, Dürer made two formative visits to Italy, where he absorbed the classical techniques of masters like Pollaiuolo, Mantegna and Michelangelo. Dürer engraved this poignant depiction of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child following his second trip to Venice in 1505-1507. The stay marked a turning point in his career, and this engraving reveals Dürer's deepened understanding of classical form, as well as his mastery of naturalistic effects in light and shade. His ability to merge these Italian influences with the Northern tradition of intricate detail established Dürer as a leading figure in Renaissance art.
Throughout his career, Dürer created works that transcended the boundaries of woodcuts, engravings and paintings, demonstrating unmatched intellectual and artistic depth. Dürer was the most influential German artist of his time, serving as court artist to both Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and his successor Charles V. Examples of this work are featured in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Harvard Art Museums and other esteemed institutions.
Plate dated 1505
Paper: 6 1/4" high x 4 1/2" wide (15.88 x 11.43 cm)
Frame: 17 1/2" high x 13 1/2" wide x 1 1/8" deep (44.45 x 34.29 x 2.86 cm)
Literature:
Dodgson, C. The Masters of Engraving and Etching: Albrecht Dürer, London and Boston, 1926. No. 44.
Hollstein, F.W.H. German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, c.1400-1700. Volume VII. Amsterdam: M. Hertzberger, 1954-. No. 94.
Panofsky, E. The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer, Princeton, New Jersey, 1971. No. 126
Schoch, R., M. Mende and A. Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer. Das Druckgraphische Werk. Band I: Kupferstiche, Eisenradierungen und Kaltnadelblätter. Munich, London, New York, 2001. No. 43.
Provenance:
Private Collection, Germany
M.S. Rau, New Orleans
- Creator:Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528, German)
- Creation Year:1505
- Dimensions:Height: 17.5 in (44.45 cm)Width: 13.5 in (34.29 cm)Depth: 1.13 in (2.88 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New Orleans, LA
- Reference Number:Seller: 32-04691stDibs: LU18615875022
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer revolutionized woodcut printmaking as an artform and his influence over the medium's practitioners has endured for centuries. Revered for his masterfully detailed prints and drawings, the German artist was driven by boundless curiosity. Dürer was the Renaissance personified in 16th-century northern Europe — he was more deeply engaged in the pursuits of the era’s Italian painters than any other artist from the region, an attribute that earned him the title “Leonardo of the North.”
Trained initially as a goldsmith in his father’s workshop, Dürer’s talent for art materialized early, in a self-portrait at the age of 13 in 1484. Held in the Albertina Museum in Vienna, this silverpoint drawing is one of the oldest extant self-portraits in European art.
While Dürer traveled extensively, his two stays in Venice, which took place during the turn of the 16th century, were among the most influential. There he became increasingly acquainted with the work of great Italian artists including Gentile and Giovanni Bellini, Antonio Pollaiuolo, Leonardo da Vinci and a young Raphael. Naturally, Dürer found great inspiration in the Venetians’ theoretical interests, techniques, use of color and more.
Over the course of his career, Dürer received commissions from Frederick the Wise-Elector of Saxony, Emperor Maximilian I and the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. At one point he was commissioned to draw the first living rhinoceros seen in Europe since the Roman Empire. Despite having never actually seen the animal, Dürer made the now-famous c. 1515 woodcut based on one written account and brief sketch. For years it remained the common interpretation of what rhinos looked like to Europeans.
Dürer’s woodcuts were widely disseminated during his time, and he is the best known artist associated with the Northern Renaissance. His breathtaking technical prowess is most prominent in his three master engravings — Saint Jerome in His Study, Melencolia I and Knight, Death, and the Devil — profoundly influential works that are characterized by rich textures and meticulously detailed imagery.
Dürer’s work is in the collections of many museums, including the National Gallery in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while his former home in Nuremberg, Germany, has been converted into a museum dedicated to his legacy. Important works like Hare and Praying Hands can be found in the Albertina, while his second famous self-portrait from 1500 — which depicts Dürer in a fur-trimmed robe — is on display in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
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