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Original fileHet Bourgondische huwelijk: Maximiliaan trouwt met Maria van Bourgondië
About This Work
The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I, clad in intricate armor and a crown, stands opposite his wife, Mary of Burgundy, against a patterned tapestry. They join hands on a heraldic shield representing the union of their houses, while a second shield topped with the imperial crown rests at the bottom left. A block of German text in Fraktur script describes the Emperor's military campaigns and his conquest of territory.
This print is part of the 'Ehrenpforte' (Triumphal Arch), a massive propaganda project designed by Albrecht Dürer and a circle of humanists including Willibald Pirckheimer and Johannes Stabius. It reflects the Renaissance obsession with genealogy, heraldry, and the revival of Roman imperial imagery, often tied to the Neoplatonic ideal of the 'Universal Monarch.'
Inscriptions(German)
Im krieg so er in gheldern fuert Dabey man noch sein manheit spuert Manch ritterliches blut vergos Wiewol sein widertail verdros Doch macht er sie pald stil und kam Das landt gewaltiglich einnam
Translation
In the war that he waged in Guelders One still feels his manhood Many a chivalrous blood was shed Though it vexed his opponents Yet he soon made them quiet and tame And powerfully took the land
Connected Texts
Willibald Pirckheimer
The humanist scholar and Neoplatonist who collaborated with Dürer to design the complex iconographic and heraldic program of the Triumphal Arch.
Johannes Stabius
The imperial astronomer and cartographer who served as the 'architect' and coordinator for the Arch's overall structure and historical content.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper, gilt paint
height 231 mm x width 151 mm
portrait
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.