In 1501 Matthias Landauer, who had a flourishing business selling the products of his smelter, founded the Zwölfbrüderhaus (“Twelve Brothers House”) in Nuremberg. This was an institution that provided a home for twelve needy artisans in their old age. In 1508 the founder commissioned an altarpiece for the newly erected chapel. Dürer had returned a year earlier to Nuremberg from his second trip to Venice, which had been a revelation to him. He chose the more modern form of the altarpiece rather than the late Gothic winged altar. The chapel was dedicated to all the saints, and this resulted in his choice of subject: the Trinity – the Dove of the Holy Spirit, God the Father and Christ –is the focus of attention. Supported by a band of angels presenting instruments of the Passion to Christ, the group hovers above the crowd arranged in a semicircle around them. Mary leads the group of female saints, among them Barbara(chalice), Catherine (wheel) and Agnes (lamb): behind John the Baptist on the right is a host of prophets and kings of the Old Testament, including David (harp) and Moses (tablets of the Law). The presence at the bottom of a group of members of the sacred and secular Christian community – from popes to a simple monk, from an emperor to representatives of the peasantry (threshingflail) – cannot be explained with All Saints iconography. Their lives have already been weighed in the Last Judgment depicted on the frame, and thus they are members of the “kingdom of God”. This concept is based on the writings of St. Augustine (354–430 AD). Landauer himself, invited to join by a cardinal, is found in the group at the left edge of the painting. As he did in other cases as weIl, Dürer expanded his signature by adding a full-length self-portrait in the landscape at the bottom.
© Cäcilia Bischoff, Masterpieces of the Picture Gallery. A Brief Guide to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna 2010
- Title: Adoration of the Trinity (Landauer Altar)
- Creator: Albrecht Dürer
- Creator Lifespan: 1471/1528
- Creator Nationality: german
- Creator Gender: male
- Creator Death Place: Nuremberg
- Creator Birth Place: Nuremberg
- Date Created: 1511
- Location Created: Nuremberg, Germany
- Style: German Renaissance
- Provenance: acquired in Nuremberg by Emperor Rudolf II in 1585, without the original frame
- Place Part Of: Germany
- Physical Dimensions: w1234 x h1350 cm (without frame)
- Inventory Number: GG 838
- Frame: The frame is a 19th-century copy of the original (Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum)
- Artist Biography: Though Dürer lamented Germany's medieval conception of artists, Italian Renaissance ideas first came north in a powerful way through him. Dürer initially trained in Nuremberg as a goldsmith, painter, and woodcutter. After visiting Venice in 1495, he intensely studied mathematics, geometry, Latin, and humanist literature. He expressed himself primarily through prints; painting was less profitable, and Lutheran church reformers disdained most religious artworks. Dürer's paintings are few and more traditional than his engravings and woodcuts. In 1498 he published the first book entirely produced by an artist, The Apocalypse, which included fourteen woodcuts illustrating the Book of Revelation. Its vivid imagery, masterly draftsmanship, and complex iconography established his reputation. After visiting Italy again from 1505 to 1507, Dürer's art assimilated Renaissance principles. Despite the impressive scope of his workshop, Dürer left no direct successors, though his easily transportable prints were influential throughout Europe. ©J. Paul Getty Trust
- Type: paintings
- Medium: Oil on Wood
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Giclée Quality Guarantee:
Giclée printing is meant to produce a product at a higher quality and longer lifespan than a standard desktop inkjet printer. The word was used to describe digital reproductions of conventional artworks (painting or drawing) or photographs.
There are at least three basic criteria which must be met in order for the print to be considered a true giclée...
- For giclée printing, the paper or substrate used to actually print the final piece must be acid free and consist of a 100% cotton base.
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- The last step to creating or confirming a true giclée print is the type of ink and printer used. The biggest contrast between a standard inkjet print and a giclée print is that giclées are printed using pigment-based inks rather than the dye-based inks found in lower cost inkjets. Pigment-based inks have a longer life span that can last anywhere from 100 to 200 years without significant fading.
The Quality :
The quality of the giclée print rivals traditional silver halide and gelatin printing processes and is commonly found in museums, art galleries, and photographic galleries.
With Giclée printing technology, we are able to provide the best possible quality for the reproduction of fine art masterpieces as well as your personal photos. Our prints capture the subtlest of colors and contrasts, while retaining superb image sharpness.
- We use real wood (non-MDF) for our canvas stretcher bars
- The canvas depth of of each dimension will be 1.5" thick
All of our canvas prints are gallery wrapped. Your image will be visible in full on the front side of the canvas while the outer edges are either artistically extended or mirrored to wrap over the wood stretcher bars on all sides. Our canvases are hand-stretched over solid wood stretcher bars.
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