DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.48092#0056
38
durer’s literary remains.
[chap.
emblem) Eryngium, called in German Manstruth, an earnest young
face, with growing hair on lip and chin, the whole nobly drawn, rich and
faultless, harmonious in its parts, of the highest finish, fully worthy of
Diirer, though painted with very thin colours.’’
It has been suggested that Diirer painted this picture and sent
it home to his father to help him in the search for a wife. How-
ever that may be, the son did not have to wait long for one after
his return home. His record of the facts is significantly brief:
“When I returned home,” he says, “Hans Frey treated with my
Father, and gave me his daughter, Mistress Agnes by name, and with
her he gave me 200 florins, and we were wedded; it was on Monday
before Margaret’s (7 July) in the year 1494.”
The question whether Durer’s married life was a happy one
or not has been much debated. The only account we possess of
it from an eye-witness (who, it is but fair to say, had no affection
for the lady7) is in a letter written by Pirkheimer to Tscherte on
the occasion of Durer’s death. He says,
“ In Albrecht Diirer I have lost the best friend I ever had on
earth; and nothing grieves me more than that he should have died so
cruel a death. I can ascribe it to no one but his wife (after the decree
of God), for she so gnawed into his heart and to such a degree tor-
mented him that he departed hence sooner than he would have done.
He was shrivelled up like a bundle of straw, and dared never seek for
amusement, or go into company, for she was always uneasy, though
there was no need for her to be so. She watched him day and night,
drove him to work hard for this reason alone that he might earn money
and leave it to her when he died. For she always thought she was on
the borders of ruin, as, for the matter of that she does still, though
Albrecht left her property worth as much as six thousand florins. But
there ! nothing was enough, and in fact she alone is the cause of his
death. I often besought her myself about her ungenerous, criminal
conduct, and I warned her and told her what the end of it all would be,
but I got nothing but ingratitude for my pains. She was the enemy of
all who were kindly disposed to her husband and fond of his society;
and this indeed was a great trouble to Albrecht and brought him to his
grave. I have never seen her since his death, and she will not have
any dealings with me, although I have been helpful to her in many
matters, but you can put no confidence there. Whoever opposes her,
and does not agree with her in everything, of him she is suspicious, and
so I like her better away from me than about me. She and her sister
are not indeed loose, but, doubtless, honourable and most God-fearing
women; still one would prefer a loose woman, who bore herself friendly,
to such a gnawing, suspicious, and scolding pious one, with whom no
rest can be had day or night. Howbeit we must commend the matter
durer’s literary remains.
[chap.
emblem) Eryngium, called in German Manstruth, an earnest young
face, with growing hair on lip and chin, the whole nobly drawn, rich and
faultless, harmonious in its parts, of the highest finish, fully worthy of
Diirer, though painted with very thin colours.’’
It has been suggested that Diirer painted this picture and sent
it home to his father to help him in the search for a wife. How-
ever that may be, the son did not have to wait long for one after
his return home. His record of the facts is significantly brief:
“When I returned home,” he says, “Hans Frey treated with my
Father, and gave me his daughter, Mistress Agnes by name, and with
her he gave me 200 florins, and we were wedded; it was on Monday
before Margaret’s (7 July) in the year 1494.”
The question whether Durer’s married life was a happy one
or not has been much debated. The only account we possess of
it from an eye-witness (who, it is but fair to say, had no affection
for the lady7) is in a letter written by Pirkheimer to Tscherte on
the occasion of Durer’s death. He says,
“ In Albrecht Diirer I have lost the best friend I ever had on
earth; and nothing grieves me more than that he should have died so
cruel a death. I can ascribe it to no one but his wife (after the decree
of God), for she so gnawed into his heart and to such a degree tor-
mented him that he departed hence sooner than he would have done.
He was shrivelled up like a bundle of straw, and dared never seek for
amusement, or go into company, for she was always uneasy, though
there was no need for her to be so. She watched him day and night,
drove him to work hard for this reason alone that he might earn money
and leave it to her when he died. For she always thought she was on
the borders of ruin, as, for the matter of that she does still, though
Albrecht left her property worth as much as six thousand florins. But
there ! nothing was enough, and in fact she alone is the cause of his
death. I often besought her myself about her ungenerous, criminal
conduct, and I warned her and told her what the end of it all would be,
but I got nothing but ingratitude for my pains. She was the enemy of
all who were kindly disposed to her husband and fond of his society;
and this indeed was a great trouble to Albrecht and brought him to his
grave. I have never seen her since his death, and she will not have
any dealings with me, although I have been helpful to her in many
matters, but you can put no confidence there. Whoever opposes her,
and does not agree with her in everything, of him she is suspicious, and
so I like her better away from me than about me. She and her sister
are not indeed loose, but, doubtless, honourable and most God-fearing
women; still one would prefer a loose woman, who bore herself friendly,
to such a gnawing, suspicious, and scolding pious one, with whom no
rest can be had day or night. Howbeit we must commend the matter