Maximilian I, Emperor - Portrait by Albrecht Durer

A Museum Quality Print of Portrait of Emperor Maximilian I by Albrecht Durer. The artist finished this oil on linden wood in the year 1519 with the size of the original being 29 by 24 inches. In the spring of 1512 the newly elected emperor Maximilian I of Hapsburg traveled to Nuremberg where he met the artist, Albrecht Durer. In 1518 during the Diet of Augsburg, Maximilian called upon the artist to paint his likeness. They met in the castle where Durer made a pencil drawing of him from which he later painted this panel portrait. On the drawing's martig, he noted "Is the emperor Maximilian that I Albrecht Durer portrayed in Augsburg, up in the high palace, in his small room, Monday, 18 June 1518." Unfortunately for Maximilian, the oil panel was not completed until the emperor had already died.

The emperor is portrayed from a three quarter length on a green background with his arms laying on an unseen parapet coinciding with the lower boundary of the painting which is in accordance to the Flemish painting traditions. His right hand holds a large pomegranate, a symbol of cohesion in the diversity and thus of the Holy Roman Empire, with the grains representing his subjects. Maximilian wears a gown with a very wide fur collar and a borad brimmed dark hat, with a broach in the center. His grey hair crowns his aged but still aristocratic face, he was 59 at the time, which in the middle ages was old. In the upper left is the Hapsburg coat of arms and Golden Fleece chain, near a long inscription in capital characters which resumes the titles and the deeds of the Emperor.

At Fine Art Prints of Distinction we painstakingly repair the original files of these old paintings and print them using premium quality inks and paper. The end result is a beautiful, archival reproduction print that will last in your home for generations and at a low cost so anyone can now have great artworks in their home or business. Brandywine General Store is proud to offer for sale a premium fine art print made from the Portrait of Emperor Maximilian I by Albrecht Durer.

Inventory #63 - Portraits of Famous People