Artwork
Willibald Pirckheimer
Willibald Pirckheimer is a drawing by Unknown. It dates from 1776 and is held in the collection of the Bamberg State Library.
About this work
You see a drawing of a man’s face in profile. His beard is trimmed short. A metal medallion frames his head like a tiny picture on the wall.
An unknown artist copied this from Albrecht Dürer’s famous 1524 engraving. They swapped engraving lines for soft pencil strokes. The medallion adds a three-dimensional trick to the flat page.
Look for the next print in the Museum of Ethnography.
Overview
This drawing is a reinterpretation of Albrecht Dürer's 1524 copper engraving of Willibald Pirckheimer. An unknown artist reworked the original portrait into a different medium, presenting it within a medallion that appears to be mounted on a wall.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts Willibald Pirckheimer, a humanist, in profile with a short beard. The artist has maintained the original's focus on the subject's character, with Pirckheimer's gaze directed into the distance.
Technique & Style
The artist translated Dürer's engraving lines into soft pencil strokes, creating a distinct contrast between the original and the copy. The addition of a medallion frame adds a three-dimensional effect to the otherwise flat drawing.
History & Provenance
The drawing was published in May 1776 in the journal 'Der teutsche Merkur' in Weimar. It is attributed to 'C.G. Schmidt in Jena', according to Heller's account of Dürer's works.
Artist & collection
