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Original fileDe beschermheiligen van Oostenrijk
About This Work
This woodcut presents eight figures, including bishops in miters, a knight in full plate armor, and a sovereign holding a shield with the Austrian eagle. Each saint is distinguished by a circular halo and stands above a Latin inscription identifying their name and role in Austrian history. The composition reflects the formal, linear style of Renaissance printmaking used for commemorative and genealogical projects.
Commissioned as part of Emperor Maximilian I's vast artistic program to glorify the Habsburg lineage, this work demonstrates the use of hagiography to provide a sacred foundation for imperial power. It highlights the Renaissance fusion of historical record and religious devotion, directed by court humanists like Johannes Stabius who blended genealogy with symbolic propaganda.
Inscriptions
S.QUIRINUS Archiepisco- pus Lauriacenlis Deinde Patriarcha Aquilegien. lis martyr S.MAXIMILIANUS Ar. chiepiscopus Lauriacen- lis Martyr S Florianus Tribun. militum martyr lau. riaci passus S.Seuerinus post Atti. lam regem hunorum de- functum secundarius Austrie apostolus S.Colomanus Martyr apud Stokharau passus S.Leopoldus Princeps pius Marchio austrie S.Poppo Marchio ori. entalis Archiepisco- pus Treuerenlis. S.Otto Marchio orien. talis Episcopus Frisingenlis.
Translation
St. Quirinus, Archbishop of Lauriacum, then Patriarch of Aquileia, martyr St. Maximilian, Arch- bishop of Lauriacum, martyr St. Florian, Tribune of soldiers, martyr, suffered at Lauriacum St. Severinus, after Attila king of the Huns died, secondary apostle of Austria St. Coloman, martyr, suffered at Stockerau St. Leopold, Prince, pious Margrave of Austria St. Poppo, Margrave of the East, Archbishop of Trier St. Otto, Margrave of the East, Bishop of Freising
Connected Texts
Maximilian I
The Holy Roman Emperor who commissioned this work as part of his dynastic and commemorative projects.
Johannes Stabius
The court historian and astrologer who collaborated with Dürer on the iconographic programs for the Emperor.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 176 mm x width 359 mm
religious
Linked Data
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