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ALLEGORICAL ENGRAVINGS OF ALBERT DURER. IN THREE PARTS.—PART III., “THE GREAT FORTUNE.” ▲ E now approach an event in the life of Albert Durer, on which it will be necessary to dilate before proceeding further with our subject. Hardly any act of Albert Durer's life has been so generally and so thoroughly misunderstood as his journey to the PaysBas in 1520, and the precise object he had in undertaking it. As will hereafter be seen, a variety of motives have been attributed to him, not one of which bears even an approximation to the truth. Thus, Sandrart pretends that Durer undertook his journey "to escape domestic broils, which became from day to day more frightful, owing to the avarice of his wife, who compelled him to work day and night for money." Arend, a native of Nuremberg, and the author of one of the earliest monographs on Durer, asserts that he made this journey "to escape from his wife." The tale contained in the "Abrégé de la Vie des plus Fameux Peintres," &c., 2nde partie, 1745, p. 5, is thus told: "L'humeur insupportable de sa femme l'obligea de faire un sécond voyage en Hollande ou il reçu son ami Lucas, il y parut avec l'équipage d'un homme riche-enfin, pressé par les sollicitations de ses amis et de sa femme, il retourna aupres d'elle, mais," &c. For Parts I. and II., see Vol. II. pp. 427 and 569. N. S. 1857, VOL. III. B The "British Cyclopædia of Biography," London, 1837, p. 613, gravely records "In 1520 he again visited the Netherlands, probably for amusement only, but Maximilian appointed him his court painter, and Charles V. confirmed him in this office, bestowing upon him at the same time the painters' coat of arms, viz., three escutcheons argent on a deep azure field." Lady Jervis, in her work "Painting and Painters," London, 1854, page 98, states: "In 1520, Albert Durer also made a journey to the Netherlands, which lasted nearly four years," &c. Bartsch, vol. vii. p. 10, says that "Durer returned in 1524.” In like manner, Ottley, in his "Inquiry" (p. 723), declares that Durer "did not return to Nuremberg until the middle of the year 1524." Monsieur Charles Blanc declares," at the age of forty-nine, Albert Durer again visited the Netherlands. Unfortunately, Agnes Frey, his terrible spouse, followed him there." Monsieur Gallichon, in the "Gazette des Beaux Arts," 1860, p. 204, observes: "Il entreprit ce voyage avec l'idée de trafiquer dans les objets d'art," &c. Mr. R. N. Wornum, in his "Epochs of Painting," 1859, p. 372, states that "the chief object of his journey was to negotiate the sale of his prints." Messrs. Jackson and Chatto, in their "History of Wood Engraving," page 259, thus mention Durer's journey: "He took with him several copies of his principal works-engravings on copper as well as on wood, and painted and drew a number of portraits during his residence there. The journey appears to have been taken as much with a view to business as pleasure." Dr. Von Eye, in his "Life of Durer," p. 411, states: "In 1518 Durer made a journey to Augsburg. Two years later he went to the Netherlands, and during his journey kept a diary; but in it he does not state the object of his travel. He certainly had causes enough for making it; but his chief object seems to have been to try and find a better market for his paintings, &c., than existed at that time in his native town of Nuremberg." And lastly, Dr. Waagen, in his "Histoire de la Peinture en Allemagne," 1863, vol. ii. p. 7, has ventured to assert, "Afin d'introduire un peu d'aisance dans son intérieur, monté cependant sur un pied bien modeste, il fit en 1520 et 1521, un voyage dans les Pays-Bas pour y vendre ses gravures sur bois et sur cuivre, qui etaient réellement son gagne-pain; " and then, with an avowal which conclusively shows how little the learned critic understood or had studied his subject, he added: "Mais le but principal de son voyage n'en fut pas moins manqué à ce point que pour retourner chez lui, il se vit encore forcé d'emprunter 100 florins." Nothing could be easier than to refute in detail the numerous and Facsimile of A. Durer's drawing in the British Museum. (See p. 13.) manifest errors contained in the foregoing extracts from the writings of authors supposed to be worthy of confidence, and to show their folly. In the face of the simple facts, however, all such fables will necessarily vanish, and the truth will, it is believed, be made abundantly evident by an episode from the life of the distinguished genius. The year 1519 dawned with misfortune to Albert Durer. On the 17th of January he lost his powerful friend and imperial patron, the Emperor Maximilian, by whose decease his position as court painter was brought to a close, whilst his chance of regaining the appointment became involved in doubt and obscurity. |