Citation link:
https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/duerer_society1899/0008
From this lowest circle of figures our eyes are carried downwards to the earth, where we
see an undulating landscape with scattered trees on either side of a lake or estuary. To the right
stands Durer himself, handsomely dressed in a fur - lined mantle, as in the “ Feast of the Rose-
Garlands,” where his portrait was similarly introduced. He holds a tablet with the inscription:
“ ALBERTVS DVRER NORICVS FACIEBAT ANNO A VIRGINIS PARTV I 711,” followed by the monogram.
The picture was painted by Durer in 1711, for the chapel, dedicated to All Saints, in the
Landauer Cloister or House of the Twelve Brethren, an alms-house for twelve old men at Nurem-
berg, which was founded by Matthaus Landauer, a copper-smith and bronze-founder, in 1701. The
chapel was finished in 1708, and the sketch at Chantilly for picture and frame together, which
bears that date, shows that the commission was given to Durer at the time of the building of the
Chapel, though he did not find time to carry it out till three years later, when he modified his
original design considerably. The beautiful Renaissance frame of carved wood, painted and gilt,
which Durer designed for his picture, remained behind at Nuremberg, when the Town Council, in
1787, allowed the Emperor Rudolph II. to purchase the picture for 700 florins, and take it away
to Prague. The picture was removed at some later date to Vienna, and became a part of the
Belvedere Collection in 1780. Unlike the majority of Durer’s important pictures, it is still in
perfect preservation, and gives a better idea of his colouring and method of painting than any
other work. The prevailing colours in the groups of saints are blue, green and pink; in the
costumes of the lower rank of figures there is much red and gold. Of the composition there is
no need to speak, for the plate does full justice to the design.
The reproduction in the text is from a photograph of the original picture at Vienna, enclosed
as it now is in an accurate modern copy of the frame, carved by J. L. Geiger, in 1881. This
gives,, no doubt, the best idea of the original appearance of the altarpiece. The original frame
itself, which remained at Nuremberg, and is now preserved in the German Museum, with a modern
copy of the picture placed in it, is somewhat damaged. When described by Thausing, it had lost
the angel seated on the top and the little figures in the frieze. The latter were subsequently
discovered at Ratisbon, and restored to their place. The subject of the upper part of the frame
is the Last Judgment; in the frieze the souls of the saved and the lost are being conducted to
the abodes respectively assigned to them. In the beautiful predella of the frame, with its
pattern of grapes and tendrils of the vine, the arms of the donor are introduced on either side
of a tablet with an inscription in Gothic characters to this effect: “ Matthaus Landauer has at
length finished the Chapel of the Twelve Brethren, the said foundation and this picture withal,
in the year 1711 after the birth of Christ.” He did not long survive the completion of the
work in which he took so just a pride, for he died in 1717, and was buried before the altar
in the Chapel which he had founded.
see an undulating landscape with scattered trees on either side of a lake or estuary. To the right
stands Durer himself, handsomely dressed in a fur - lined mantle, as in the “ Feast of the Rose-
Garlands,” where his portrait was similarly introduced. He holds a tablet with the inscription:
“ ALBERTVS DVRER NORICVS FACIEBAT ANNO A VIRGINIS PARTV I 711,” followed by the monogram.
The picture was painted by Durer in 1711, for the chapel, dedicated to All Saints, in the
Landauer Cloister or House of the Twelve Brethren, an alms-house for twelve old men at Nurem-
berg, which was founded by Matthaus Landauer, a copper-smith and bronze-founder, in 1701. The
chapel was finished in 1708, and the sketch at Chantilly for picture and frame together, which
bears that date, shows that the commission was given to Durer at the time of the building of the
Chapel, though he did not find time to carry it out till three years later, when he modified his
original design considerably. The beautiful Renaissance frame of carved wood, painted and gilt,
which Durer designed for his picture, remained behind at Nuremberg, when the Town Council, in
1787, allowed the Emperor Rudolph II. to purchase the picture for 700 florins, and take it away
to Prague. The picture was removed at some later date to Vienna, and became a part of the
Belvedere Collection in 1780. Unlike the majority of Durer’s important pictures, it is still in
perfect preservation, and gives a better idea of his colouring and method of painting than any
other work. The prevailing colours in the groups of saints are blue, green and pink; in the
costumes of the lower rank of figures there is much red and gold. Of the composition there is
no need to speak, for the plate does full justice to the design.
The reproduction in the text is from a photograph of the original picture at Vienna, enclosed
as it now is in an accurate modern copy of the frame, carved by J. L. Geiger, in 1881. This
gives,, no doubt, the best idea of the original appearance of the altarpiece. The original frame
itself, which remained at Nuremberg, and is now preserved in the German Museum, with a modern
copy of the picture placed in it, is somewhat damaged. When described by Thausing, it had lost
the angel seated on the top and the little figures in the frieze. The latter were subsequently
discovered at Ratisbon, and restored to their place. The subject of the upper part of the frame
is the Last Judgment; in the frieze the souls of the saved and the lost are being conducted to
the abodes respectively assigned to them. In the beautiful predella of the frame, with its
pattern of grapes and tendrils of the vine, the arms of the donor are introduced on either side
of a tablet with an inscription in Gothic characters to this effect: “ Matthaus Landauer has at
length finished the Chapel of the Twelve Brethren, the said foundation and this picture withal,
in the year 1711 after the birth of Christ.” He did not long survive the completion of the
work in which he took so just a pride, for he died in 1717, and was buried before the altar
in the Chapel which he had founded.