4. Albrecht Dürer
(1471-1528)
Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony

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Dürer: Frederick the Wise

Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony

Engraving, 1524, 193 x 126 mm., Bartsch 104, Meder 102 b (of e). A fine impression with contrast, printed with ink tone on the plate (as specified by Meder for b impressions), on laid paper without visible watermark (again, as specified by Meder for b), trimmed on or just inside the platemark, in good condition except for a tiny repair or restoration at the tip of the lower left corner. Frederick III (1463-1525) was Elector of the Holy Roman Empire and Duke of Saxony, a founder of the University of Wittenberg and a supporter of the Reformation although he never openly espoused Lutheranism. He was also one of Dürer's earliest patrons. As with several other of Dürer's portraits, the eyes reflect the windows of the room, a small but clever affectation strongly objected to by the critic John Ruskin.