Original engraving printed in black ink on laid paper.
4 5/16 x 3 3/8 inches
1508
Inquire about purchasing
Dated and signed with the artist's monogram in the plate lower right.
A fine late 16th century Meder 'd' impression.
Trimmed down to just outside the platemark on all four sides, the sheet tips and the right edge reinforced from the verso, otherwise in very fine condition. This engraving is the last work Dürer completed prior to his sudden departure on his second trip to Venice, partially in order to escape the Great Plague which was threatening his home. It was probably almost complete because the date 1505 had already been engraved into the plate. Dürer subsequently altered the date to read 1508. The background is deliberately reduced in scale for sake of contrast and any indication of a landscape is omitted. Some believe that in this engraving Dürer sought to combine the monumentality of 'The Large Horse' (Bartsch 97) with the elegance of 'The Small Horse' (B. 96). Pictured from behind, this unusual stance conveys a feeling of pause before the saintly warrior forges ahead to further defend the Faith.
Bartsch 54; Dodgson 49; Panofsky 161; Meder 56 d; Strauss 46; Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 41
