Live Auction 7747Old Master, Modern & Contemporary Prints
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
Lot 10

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

The Masquerade Dance with Torches, from: Freydal (B. app. 38; M. Holl. 250; S.M.S. 272.5)

Closed17 September 2009

Price Realised

GBP 2,500

Considering selling a similar item?

Discover its value with a complimentary estimate from our specialists.

More Information

How to sell

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
The Masquerade Dance with Torches, from: Freydal (B. app. 38; M. Holl. 250; S.M.S. 272.5)
woodcut, circa 1517-18, without watermark, a good Meder a/b impression of this very rare print, printing a little dryly in places, with thread margins, occasionally trimmed to the borderline at right, the upper border possibly strengthened, generally in very good condition
B. 223 x 247 mm., S. 225 x 248 mm.

Specialist note

This print is one of five woodcuts created by Dürer for the book Freydal, which, in the guise of a chivalresque medieval epic, was to celebrate the heroic deeds and noble manners of Emperor Maximilian I. The compositions are based on a miniature manuscript, anonymously created to serve as a model for the printed book. The five woodcuts, depicting four tournament scenes and this courtly dance, were the only ones realised. With the death of the Emperor in January 1519, the book project was abandoned and hence early impressions of these prints are of great rarity.