Pamono Albrecht Dürer, Horse, Engraving, 1501> Classical

“Wood engraving around 1501. Signed with the monogram A.D (Albrecht Dûrer). H: 36 cm, L: 27.
Edmond de Rothschild Collection sold in 2016 (The baron acquired it in 1935 at the sale of the collection of Emperor Maximilian 1st of Austria).
This work belongs to a series of studies by Dûrer on the body of the horse. This plate engraved in 1501 illustrates the legend of the Roman general Placidus, who became Saint Eustace after his conversion to Christianity, when Christ appeared to him on the cross between the antlers of the deer he was hunting. The formance of the details, the subtlety of the tones and the vistuosity in the rendering of the textures make this plate an absolute masterpiece. The composition is based on a painting by Pisanello, currently at the National Gallery in London.
This engraving by Dûrer, the largest produced by the artist, is on display until January at the Petit Palais in Paris.
The great master of the German renaissance of the 16th century marks the history of art. Raphaël and Titian were inspired by it. Dûrer will search with his friend Leonardo Da Vinci for the divine proportion (the golden ratio). Dûrer preferred engraving to painting for its finesse and nuances. Dûrer and Raphaêl admired each other and exchanged their works.
”