Albrecht Durer

Dürer was born in Nuremberg, the son of a successful Hungarian goldsmith. His godfather was Anton Koberger, the leading German publisher of his day. Dürer's travels as a journeyman from 1490-1495, included a visit to northern Italy, where the works of artists such as Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini had a powerful effect on his artistic development.

In 1495, Dürer opened his own workshop in Nuremberg, a wealthy centre of trade which was situated at a focal point within the Holy Roman Empire. He took the radical step of producing high quality prints for an open market, and the first edition of his famous Apocalypse series of woodcuts was published in 1498. Dürer's paintings also display a deep interest in new themes and ideas, particularly his self-portraits of the late 1490s. From 1505 to 1507 he visited Italy again and painted the Adoration of the Holy Rosary for the German merchants in Venice (now in the National Gallery, Prague). From 1507 to 1512 he worked on numerous paintings and the Engraved Passion. The woodcut series of the Life of the Virgin, the Great Passion and the Little Passion were published in 1511.

Dürer's revitalisation of printmaking techniques caught the attention of the circle of humanist scholars in Nuremberg, centred around his close friend Willibald Pirckheimer, who informed him on the literature and ideals of the Italian Renaissance and advised on subjects that would appeal to the educated elite.

Dürer was a prolific draughtsman and approximately nine hundred and seventy drawings by him are known to have survived.  His prints have been highly praised since his lifetime and remain at the core of all serious print collections. The British Museum has a virtually complete collection of Dürer's ninety-nine engravings, six etchings and a substantial number of his designs for three hundred and forty-six woodcuts and book illustrations.

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