Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). <em>The Great Triumphal Chariot of the Emperor Maximilian I</em>, 1522, begun 1518. Woodcut from eight blocks on eight sheets of laid paper, 16 x 95 in. (40.5 x 241.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of The Roebling Society, 83.43a-h (Photo: Brooklyn Museum Photograph, 83.43a-h_PS11.jpg)

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). The Great Triumphal Chariot of the Emperor Maximilian I, 1522, begun 1518. Woodcut from eight blocks on eight sheets of laid paper, 16 x 95 in. (40.5 x 241.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of The Roebling Society, 83.43a-h (Photo: Brooklyn Museum Photograph, 83.43a-h_PS11.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

The Great Triumphal Chariot of the Emperor Maximilian I

Albrecht Dürer

European Art

Albrecht Dürer revolutionized the techniques of woodcut and engraving, and was the first artist to achieve fame through his work as a printmaker. In 1512 the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, who recognized how useful the new medium of printmaking would be for spreading his fame and burnishing his image, commissioned Dürer to create in his honor a gigantic, multipart woodcut inspired by imperial processions of antiquity. The emperor died before the ambitious work was completed, but the entrepreneurial Dürer published the last eight-block section of the procession as a tribute to him.

Maximilian is depicted as a latter-day Roman emperor, riding in an elaborate chariot whose four wheels express in Latin his renown (gloria), dignity (dignitas), magnanimity (magnificentia), and honor (honor). He and six teams of splendidly decorated horses are accompanied by figures that personify all the noble qualities of a virtuous ruler and statesman. The procession is surrounded by an interpretive text in German about the iconography of the image written by a scholar and friend of the artist’s.

Brooklyn’s woodcut is one of only a few existing versions of the first edition, published by Dürer in Nuremberg in 1522 with the German text. Subsequent editions were published with Latin text.

ARTIST Albrecht Dürer, German, 1471–1528

MEDIUM Woodcut from eight blocks on eight sheets of laid paper

DATES 1522, begun 1518

DIMENSIONS 16 x 95 in. (40.5 x 241.3 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS European Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 83.43a-h

CREDIT LINE Gift of The Roebling Society

EXHIBITIONS

Rembrandt to Picasso: Five Centuries of European Works on Paper

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). The Great Triumphal Chariot of the Emperor Maximilian I, 1522, begun 1518. Woodcut from eight blocks on eight sheets of laid paper, 16 x 95 in. (40.5 x 241.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of The Roebling Society, 83.43a-h (Photo: Brooklyn Museum Photograph, 83.43a-h_PS11.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 83.43a-h_PS11.jpg. Brooklyn Museum Photograph, 2022

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT No known copyright restrictions

This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Collection Menu

The Great Triumphal Chariot of the Emperor Maximilian I

Albrecht Dürer

European Art

RELATED OBJECTS