Gallery of prints for sale

Saturday, 27 May 2023

Hans Burgkmair the Elder’s woodcut, “Knights Bearing the Banners of Unterwaldsee, Oberwaldsee and Duino”, c1517

Hans Burgkmair the Elder (1473–1531) or possibly by/or with assistance from Albrecht Altdorfer (1482/5–1538) based on the numbering on the upper right (see the V&A description of this print: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O675713/triumph-of-the-emperor-maximilian-woodcut-maximilian-i-holy/).  

“Knights Bearing the Banners of Unterwaldsee, Oberwaldsee and Duino”, c1517, a giant woodcut from the frieze of 139 plates extending to around 54 meters in length titled, “Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I”, c1517. This impression may be from the 1777 edition of 192 plates published by Adam Bartsch (1757–1821).

The Victoria and Albert Museum offers the following very interesting information about the “Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I” plates: … “This was one of three large-scale mural projects which together reflected Emperor Maximilian I's (1459-1519) status as Holy Roman Emperor and linked him symbolically with ancient Rome. The project was not finished by the time of Maximilian's death but the set was published later, in 1526.

Hans Burgkmair designed much of the procession, begun in about 1512, with contributions from Albrecht Altdorfer, Hans Springinklee, Hans Beck and Hans Scheufelein. The designs were cut by Jost de Negker's large team of block-cutters.

The two other mural projects include a large Triumphal Arch, about 12 feet high by 10 feet wide and made up of 192 blocks, and a Triumphal Carriage about 8 feet long made up of 8 blocks. These were designed by Albrecht Dürer, with assistance from Hans Springinklee, Wolf Traut and Albrecht Altdorfer.

The procession was not intended for sale. The city of Nuremberg apologised to the Emperor for some impressions from the blocks having been sold. The friezes were intended as gifts for wall display. According to surviving correspondence, Maximilian wanted the procession to 'grace the walls of council chambers and great halls of the empire, proclaiming for posterity the noble aims of their erstwhile ruler'” (http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O972804).

Woodcut printed in black on fine buff coloured laid paper (with watermark) backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 40 X 40.2 cm.

Letterpress numbered at upper right corner: “73”.

TIB 11.73 (Tilman Falk [ed.] 1980, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Sixteenth Century German Artists”, vol. 11, New York, Abaris Books, p. 173, cat. no. 73); Bartsch 73; Schestag 73; Winzinger 215.

Condition: a strong and well-printed impression in excellent condition for its considerable age and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this extraordinarily large woodcut from the Renaissance—note that close examination of the print shows the matrix of smaller blocks joined together to create this huge print—for AU$430 (currently US$287.41/EUR260.05/GBP228.92 at the time of listing this print) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this exceptionally rare woodcut, 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










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