Description: Original Woodcut from Albrecht Dürer's last great publication, the Four Books of Human Proportion (Vier Bücher von menschlichen Proportion). First Edition from 1528 Two anthropometical woodcuts, showing a man with compass on one side and a woman in shadow on the reverse. Printed on antique laid paper with countermark (see my final photo for an image of the associated watermark from another page in the book). Sheet measures 8 x 12 inches (possibly trimmed), with faint spots of discoloration and a small bit of paper loss in one corner. Some waviness to sheet, but otherwise very fine condition considering age. Although Dürer's research was largely completed by 1523 it was not until 1528, the year of his death, that the 'Vier Bücher von menschlicher Proportion' was published. This work, in four sections or 'books', was the first published attempt to apply the science of human anatomical proportions to aesthetics. The work is also notable for its extraordinary series of over 100 anthropometrical woodcuts, such as this one. This print is from the fourth book. It is an especially interesting example as it shows a figure with a compass in its hand—the very tool that the artist relies on in this collection and in his other book on geometry. It might be a stretch but could this be a self-portrait? The volume of four books was immensely influential and was republished in translation in subsequent editions, including the 1532 edition in Latin and French in 1557. Copies of the first edition are exceptionally rare and usually sell for $100,000 or more at auction. I have come across individual sheets from the second Latin edition that sold for roughly $1,000 each at auction, but I have not found other impressions from the first edition. I was fortunate to obtain an incomplete copy of the first edition and therefore do not have as many qualms about selling this one sheet that has come loose from the larger volume. The final photographs in my listing are purely for reference to show that this is indeed from the first edition. The watermark is identified by Meder as only appearing in the first edition of the book (#59 in his catalogue).
Price: 1500 USD
Location: South Hadley, Massachusetts
End Time: 2025-02-04T16:27:53.000Z
Shipping Cost: 15 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Artist: Albrecht Dürer
Type: Print
Year of Production: 1528
Theme: Art, People
Period: Renaissance (Pre-1600)
Production Technique: Woodcut Printing
Original/Licensed Reprint: Original
Country/Region of Manufacture: Germany
Subject: Figures
Time Period Produced: Pre-1700
