Albrecht DÜRER – Emperor Maximilian I, 1518 – 1519

Meder nr 255; Bartsch Ill. nr 354 Block 3 (II a/b/III); Schoch, Mende and Scherbaum II-252-3. Very good impression trimmed on the borderline or slightly inside it, of the 2nd state A (of 3), before the break in the right side and the Dürer monogram. Small restored tear of about 25 mm above the nose; a rustpoint in the hairs and trace of horizontal central fold. No apparent watermark. Ex collection A. Sträter (Lugt nr 787), nr 206 of his posthumous sale (Stuttgart, H.G. Gutekunst, 10-14 may 1898), At this famous sale, almost all the major cabinets, amateurs, dealers, were present…(F. Lugt). The portrait of the Emperor Maximilian Ist is known in four versions, all printed from different woodblocks but based on the same drawing by Dürer. The Emperor died a few months later. The first version, extremely rare, is only known in a few impressions. The second block is also very rare. We present here the third. This print is one of the most famous and popular of the era.