The Small Horse by Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer
1471-1528 | German

The Small Horse

Dated in the plate on upper center; monogrammed in the plate lower center: AD
Meder state a
Copperplate engraving on laid paper

“Whatever was mortal in Albrecht Dürer lies beneath this mound.” — Albrecht Dürer’s epitaph

Regarded as the greatest engraver in history, Albrecht Dürer revolutionized printmaking by combining extraordinary naturalism with technical precision. The Small Horse reflects his lifelong fascination with ideal beauty, proportion and movement. The striking horse, rendered with anatomical accuracy, conveys both energy and poise, exemplifying Dürer’s mastery of copper engraving and his ability to merge realism with classical idealization.

The composition is tightly controlled, with the horse shown in profile against a stone wall, its tail restrained by a knot, while the wing-footed warrior in a butterfly-winged helmet struggles to keep pace. Dürer’s use of intersecting diagonals in the architecture and pike arrests the motion, creating a dynamic tension that balances naturalistic detail with a heraldic formality. Influenced by Italian Renaissance masters such as Pisanello, Donatello, Mantegna and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as classical bronze equestrian sculptures in Venice, Dürer integrates idealized form with studied observation.

Horses were recurring subjects in Dürer’s oeuvre, often used to explore movement, proportion and symbolism. In The Small Horse, each detail, from the musculature of the horse to the warrior’s posture, is meticulously rendered through precise shading and line work, creating a work that is both a vivid study in anatomy and a testament to Dürer’s unrivaled skill in engraving. His prints remain benchmarks for technical achievement and artistic insight, influencing generations of artists across Europe.

Albrecht Dürer, born in Nuremberg in 1471, is regarded as the most influential artist of the Northern Renaissance. Early in his career, Dürer apprenticed with his father, a goldsmith, and later with Michael Wolgemut, whose workshop introduced him to woodcut illustration. Fascinated by the Italian Renaissance, Dürer made two formative visits to Italy, where he absorbed the classical techniques of masters like Pollaiuolo, Mantegna and Michelangelo. The stay marked a turning point in his career, and it was his ability to merge his Italian influences with the Northern tradition of intricate detail that established Dürer as a leading figure in Renaissance art.

Throughout his career, Dürer created works that transcended the boundaries of woodcuts, engravings and paintings, demonstrating unmatched intellectual and artistic depth. Dürer was the most influential German artist of his time, serving as court artist to both Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and his successor Charles V. Examples of this work are featured in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Harvard Art Museums and other esteemed institutions.

Plate dated 1505

Paper: 6" high x 4" deep (15.24 x 10.16 cm)
Frame: 16 3/4" high x 12 3/4" wide x 1" deep (42.55 x 32.39 x 2.54 cm)

Literature:
Strauss, Walter L., ed. The Illustrated Bartsch 10 (Commentary): Sixteenth Century German Artists, Albrecht Dürer. New York: Abaris Books, 1980. 328 pp., ill. No. 96, pp. 212–215
Bartrum, Giulia, ed. Albrecht Dürer and his Legacy – The Graphic Work of a Renaissance Artist, with contributions by Günter Grass, Joseph L. Koerner, and Ute Kuhlemann. London: The British Museum Press, 2002. 320 pp., ill. No. 180, p. 229
Dodgson, C. The Masters of Engraving and Etching: Albrecht Dürer. London and Boston, 1926. No. 43 Hollstein, F.W.H. German Engravings, Etchings and Woodcuts, c.1400–1700. Volume VII. Amsterdam: M. Hertzberger, 1954–. No. 93
Rowlands, J.K. The Graphic Work of Albrecht Dürer: An Exhibition of his Prints and Drawings in Commemoration of the Quincentenary of his Birth. London: British Museum, 1971. Exhibition catalogue. No. 113
Schoch, R., M. Mende, and A. Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer. Das Druckgraphische Werk. Band I: Kupferstiche, Eisenradierungen und Kaltnadelblätter. Munich, London, New York, 2001. No. 42
Heller, Joseph. Das Leben und die Werke Albrecht Dürer. Bamberg, 1827. Vols. 2 & 3 (vol. 1 unpublished). No. 1000
Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog: Ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna, 1932. No. 93
Dodgson, C. The Masters of Engraving and Etching: Albrecht Dürer. London and Boston, 1926. No. 43
Tietze, Hans and Erika Tietze-Conrat. Kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke Albrecht Dürers. Vol. 1, Augsburg, 1928; Vol. 2, Basel and Leipzig, 1937; Vol. 3, Basel and Leipzig, 1938. No. 281
Panofsky, Erwin. The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer. Vol. I, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1955 (4th edn); Vol. II, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1945 (2nd edn). No. 203
Strauss, W.L. The Intaglio Prints of Albrecht Dürer. 6 volumes. New York, 1977. No. 44

Provenance:
Private Collection, Germany
M.S. Rau, New Orleans