Albrecht Dürer

A very fine lifetime impression with gentle, slightly silvery contrasts. The scratches in the knee drapery are not yet visible; the scratch from the tower to the building complex is indicated. Created in the same year as Dürer's ‘Melencolia I’, this engraving bears numerous surprising parallels to Dürer's masterpiece. The overall composition, with the robed figure sitting pensively on a step, is reminiscent of the famous engraving, as is the drapery, which has been worked with great skill and subtlety. The putto on the millstone is transformed here into the Christ Child, and even details such as the keys hanging from the belt or the purse can be found in both depictions. Trimmed just outside the borderline, with thread margins in places. – In the left margin, centred with a closed tear. With a faint paper abrasion at the knee and the upper left corner. Verso with two horizontal, smoothed crease marks. On the reverse with traces and remnants of a former mounting, otherwise in good condition.