Albrecht Dürer’s engraving (lifetime, first state impression), “Apollo and Diana”, 1502

Albrecht Dürer (aka Albrecht Duerer) (1471–1528)

“Apollo and Diana” (Apollon et Diane), c.1502

Engraving on laid paper with watermark (fragment) trimmed along the image borderline, at top and left trimmed minimally over the borderline. Signed in the plate with Dürer’s monogram

Lifetime, first state impression, Meder 64, a (of d) before the scratch over the breast of Diana.

Size: (sheet) 11.4 x 7 cm

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Apollo and Diana; Apollo standing, holding bow and arrow in his hands, with Diana sitting next to him, resting her hand on the snout of a stag whom she is about to feed.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=765029&partId=1&searchText=durer+apollo+and+diana&page=1)

Dodgson 1926 34 (Campbell Dodgson 1926, “Albrecht Dürer”, London); Meder 1932 64.a (Joseph Meder 1932, “Dürer Katalog”, Vienna); Schoch 2001-04 I.38 (Rainer Schoch; Matthias Mende; Anna Scherbaum 2001, “Albrecht Dürer, das druckgraphische Werk”. 3 vols I Intaglio, II Woodcuts, III Book illustrations, Munich, Prestel); Bartsch VII.82.68 (Adam Bartsch 1803, “Le Peintre graveur”, 21 vols, Vienna); TIB 10 (7) 68 (82) (Walter L Strauss 1980, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Sixteenth Century German Artists”, vol. 10, p. 59)

Condition: a lifetime, first state impression of utmost rarity. There is a rich patina of age and a few marks—but not significant in the sense of defacing the image. There are signs of past mounting (verso) and faint traces of colour. Beyond the obvious age of the print the sheet is in good condition (i.e. there are no obvious tears, abrasions, folds or holes).

I am selling this lifetime impression by one of the world’s most famous artists for the total cost of AU$2012 (currently US$1527.77/EUR1438.98/GBP1251.87 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing this acknowledged masterpiece by Dürer —so famous that it even features on the front cover of the recent exhibition catalogue (2002/3), “'Dürer and his Legacy”—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold

According to the curator of the British Museum, “This small print can be considered as Dürer's response to the engraving of Jacopo de' Barbari's ‘Apollo and Diana’ … which is only slightly larger in size.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=765029&partId=1&searchText=durer+apollo+and+diana&page=1)

Although there are clear compositional similarities connecting Bargari’s and Dürer’s engravings—for instance both show Apollo facing to the right with his bow pictorially cropped by the framing edge—there are significant conceptual gaps separating them. Whereas Bargari’s print shows Apollo and Diana in a celestial spiritual realm of arcing curves and even an aureole/glory emanating from Apollo, Dürer’s image is set in the real world. In Dürer’s print, I see Diana as an everyday young lady contentedly nude in a frozen moment of indecision as she looks towards the viewer though the small space between Apollo’s arching torso and his bow. Going further with this reading, Diana appears to engage with her audience through a slight tilt to her head as if she is caught between wondering what the viewer wants, feeding the stag resting its head on her lap and comforting it by lightly laying her hand on its snout.