Albrecht Dürer the Elder

Albrecht Dürer the Elder ( Hungarian " Ajtósi Dürer " Albrecht ) (c. 1427 Ajtos; † before September 20, 1502 in Nuremberg) was a goldsmith in Nuremberg.

Life

Albrecht Dürer the Elder was the eldest son of the goldsmith Anthoni Dürer and father of the painter Albrecht Dürer. He was born about 1427 in Eytas ( Ajtos ) in Gyula in Hungary. After training as a goldsmith by his father, he went on an extensive pilgrimage that took him to the Netherlands, and perhaps even to Burgundy. On the way he came around 1444, at age 17, for the first time in Nuremberg. It is believed that he on this stay the goldsmith Hieronymus Holper met and worked for a short time as a journeyman in the workshop. Here it should also have taken the name " Dürer ", the birthplace of his Hungarian derived ( ajtó = door). The name " Dürer " is thus a name of origin, so the door can also be found in the arms of his son again.

It was followed by a stay of several years in the Netherlands, where he worked with many important Dutch goldsmiths made ​​contacts according to the records of his son. Due to a custom built around 1470-1480 Double Cup in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, the experimentally by Heinrich Kohlhaußen Albrecht Dürer the Elder. has been attributed and Burgundian influences shows is thought that led him to his trip to Burgundy and he may also work for Duke Philip III. has pointed out the good guys.

Around 1455 he returned to Nuremberg. He joined now finally in the workshop of Hieronymus Holper one who was not only his patron, but also his friend. Here he worked as a journeyman until 1467, before he set up his practice and to einmietete in the back house of John Pirckheimer, the father of the scholar and humanist Willibald Pirckheimer which should also promote Dürer's sons later. On April 4 this year, he acquired the civil rights of the city of Nuremberg and was confirmed as staff at Holpers Silberwaagamt and the goldsmith shop. On June 8, 1467 he married the then just 15 years old, Barbara, daughter of Jerome Holper. He had 18 children together with her. In the following year, on 4 June 1468, the city gave him the rights of a master goldsmith, and he decided to settle there permanently. Quick Albrecht gained fame and recognition, so that you can him on 20 March 1470, together with the goldsmith Nicolaus Red, appointed Münzprobierer the city of Nuremberg. Acquired on 12 May 1475 he moved into the house S 493 at the corner of Upper Schmiedgasse.

In subsequent years, Albrecht Dürer was the Elder. entrusted with numerous municipal tasks. In 1492 he undertook a journey to Linz, where he met with Emperor Frederick III. met to ( get letter Dürer from Linz to his wife, now in the Germanic National Museum ) to bring this unspecified goldsmith's work. Already in 1489 he had the Elder along with the goldsmith Hans pitcher. made two drinking harnesses for Friedrich. Dürer died in 1502 at the Ruhr. On September 20, he was buried in Nuremberg.

Works

Although Albrecht Dürer the Elder. has made as a goldsmith a great name, it can now be no more of his work assign with certainty. The most widely accepted today is the so-called " key fields vessel" from the possession of the key fields family foundation, located since 1875 on loan to the Germanic National Museum in Nuremberg. It is considered by some art historians as probably the last work of the master.

Another work obtained is perhaps a " double cup " in the possession of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, which has been the champion in 1931 by the then director of the " Germanic National Museum ," Heinrich Kohlhaußen attributed. He was based presumably on a tracing obtained from a similar, now lost, " Double Cup ", which had been in the collection of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg. However, as this write-up could not be confirmed, they found little recognition, so that the very nice trophy will also continue to be issued as a work of an anonymous Nuremberg master from 1470 to 1480. Long Albrecht Dürer the Younger attributed to an early work, most researchers consider the silverpoint drawing ' tournament tab " ( in the Berlin Print Room ) today for a work of Albrecht Dürer the Elder. It is a type specimen book sheet - probably tracing an equestrian seal. A later inscription " 1508 A. d 'at the top had laid a false trail. The emergence date must be after the style of earlier - well before 1480th

A large number of other sites are occupied by old documents, but none of them can now more evidence of safety. Erwin Panofsky writes to him also two silverpoint drawings.

List of possible extant works

• Erlangen, Graphic Collection of the University of Self-portrait. to 1492/1493 ( pen drawing )

• Key Fields ship. to 1502/ 03

• Self-portrait. 1486 ( the silverpoint drawing was until 1957 as the son of Albrecht Dürer works, but is now mostly as a work of Albrecht Dürer the Elder. Viewed )

• Double Cup. 1470 - 1480th

• Competition riders. to 1480th

List of documentary works occupied

• Two silver labels for the musicians of Nuremberg. 1471.
• 24 cups of gold plated silver for the city of Nuremberg, four of them with a lid. 1477th
• Multi-piece drinking vessels for the Bishop of Posen, Uriel Gorka. 1486th
• Two silver drinking harnesses for the Emperor Frederick III. 1489th
• Two monstrance for receiving a mandrel of the Crown of Thorns and a scourge node for the Holy Spirit Church in Nuremberg. 1489/90
• Double Cup from the possession of Albrecht of Brandenburg.

Portraits

The first

The Picture of Albrecht Dürer the Elder. with rosary has been painted around 1490 by Albrecht Dürer at the age of only 19 years and provides its then 63 - year-old father Albrecht Dürer the Elder. dar. It is now in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

The portrait is 47 cm high and 39 cm wide, painted on wood. It was later ( by Dürer? ) Signed with the monogram and dated 1490. On the back of the coat of arms Dürer Holper can be seen. The image must be incurred prior to the commencement of Dürer's wandering, he has competed on April 11, 1490. The image is not in good condition and has particularly at the background to damage.

The image is a portrait of chest showing Dürer's father in a light diagonal position in front of a dark green background. He is clothed with a wide brown, fur-lined jacket, under which the black undergarment can be seen. On his head he wears a dark fur-lined cap, from the clean, wavy hair that is barely gray poking out. He plays with a kind of chain or rosary of coral -colored balls, while his gaze is pensive, almost skeptical into the distance.

The Second

This portrait of Albrecht Dürer the Elder. has been painted around 1497 by Dürer at the age of 26 years and provides his then 70 - year-old father dar.

The portrait is 51 cm high, 41 cm wide, painted on linden wood and signed on the top edge and dated 1497 ALBRECHT THURER THE ELTER VND 70 JOR. From the picture, there are several versions, one of which is now considered the National Gallery in London as the original when it was also adopted due to a bad state of preservation of the lettering and the background long as a copy or fake. Other versions are in the Städel in Frankfurt, in an English collection and in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, which are considered to be copies. The image was used in an etching by Wenceslas Hollar.

It represents the visibly aged father, who is wearing the same fur jacket like on the first picture. He is against an orange background - illustrated in a representative attitude - like a primer acts upon closer inspection. His attitude is bent, the tension force of 63 -year-olds he has lost face and neck are emaciated, full of wrinkles, and the formerly full lips have become narrow bars. In contrast to the older portrait he looks with his skeptical eye to the viewer. From its dark brown cap, the edge is pitched with the ear flaps, peek out the grizzled, sparse hair had become. He has recovered to within three fingers of the left hand in the wide sleeves of fur jacket His hands.

In the composition and the color palette the same - except for the different colored background - the two images, while in terms of proportions and picturesque perfection - the later image, in contrast to the first no Pentimenti on - the younger the first image is superior. Both images distinguishes the haunting collection of the personality of the sitter.