The ''Large Triumphal Carriage'' or ''Great Triumphal Car'' (in German, ''Triumphwagen'') is a large 16th-century

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

print by

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer (; ; hu, Ajtósi Adalbert; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer (without an umlaut) or Due ...

, commissioned by the

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...

Maximilian I Maximilian I may refer to: *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, reigned 1486/93–1519 *Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, reigned 1597–1651 *Maximilian I, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1636-1689) *Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, reigned 1795� ...

. The work was originally intended to be the central part of a long print of a ''

Triumphal Procession The ''Triumphal Procession'' (in German, ''Triumphzug'') or ''Triumphs of Maximilian'' is a monumental 16th-century series of woodcut prints by several artists, commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. The composite image was pr ...

'' or ''Triumph of Maximilian'', depicting Maximilian and his court entourage in a procession. This section shows the emperor in his triumphal car, and was part of a tradition depicting imaginary "

triumphs ''Triumphs'' (Italian language, Italian: ''I Trionfi'') is a 14th-century Italian series of poems, written by Petrarch in the Tuscan language. The poem evokes the Roman triumph, Roman ceremony of triumph, where victorious generals and their armies ...

" or real processions, such as royal entries. The work is one of three huge prints created for Maximilian, the other being a ''

Triumphal Arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

'' (1512–15, 192 woodcut panels, high and wide) also designed by

, and the ''

'' (1516–18, 137 woodcut panels, long). The monumental projects reflect Maximilian's position as Holy Roman Emperor, and link him to the

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road. In its simplest form a triumphal arch consists of two massive piers connected by an arch, crow ...

es and

Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...

. Only the ''Triumphal Arch'' was completed before Maximilian's death in 1519, and distributed as Imperial

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

as he intended. The completed ''Large Triumphal Carriage'' is a composite image printed from 8 separate wood blocks created by

Willibald Pirckheimer Willibald Pirckheimer (5 December 1470 – 22 December 1530) was a German Renaissance lawyer, author and Renaissance humanist, a wealthy and prominent figure in Nuremberg in the 16th century, imperial counsellor and a member of the governing City ...

. It measures approximately high long. Two blocks depict a large carriage or chariot in which Maximilian sits alone, holding a sceptre and a palm and wearing the imperial robes and the crown of the Holy Roman Empire and surrounded by the four

cardinal virtues The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in both classical philosophy and Christian theology. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. They form a virtue theory of ethics. The term ''cardinal'' comes from the ...

- Iustitia (justice), Fortitudo (fortitude), Prudentia (prudence) and Temperantia (temperance). The emperor sits under the crown held aloft by a

Victory The term victory (from Latin ''victoria'') originally applied to warfare, and denotes success achieved in personal Duel, combat, after military operations in general or, by extension, in any competition. Success in a military campaign constitu ...

, whose feathered wings bear the names of Maximilian's military campaigns: "Gallis" (France), "Ungaris" (Hungary), "Bohemis" (Bohemia), "Elvetiis" (Switzerland), "Germanis" (Germany) and "Venetis" (Venice). The other six plates each show a pair of horses with luxurious harnesses, pulling the carriage along. Many parts of the print are labelled to explain the complex iconography: the wheels are marked "Magnificentia" (magnificence), "Dignitas" (dignity), "Gloria" (glory) and "Honor" (honour); one rein is marked "Nobilitas" (nobility) and the other "Potentia" (power). The driver of the carriage is "Ratio" (reason). Each horse is attended by a female figure carrying a wreath: from rear to front, "Providentia" (providence) and "Moderatio" (moderation), "Alacritas" (quickness) and "Opportunitas" (opportunity), "Velocitas" (speed) and "Firmitudo" (firmness), "Acrimonia" (sharpness/keen-ness/vigor) and "Virilitas" (virility), "Audacia" (audacity) and "Magnanimitas" (magananiminty), and "Experientia" (experience) and "Solertia" (skill). The carriage is also attended by four female figures: "Gravitas" (gravity), "Perserverantia" (perseverance), "Fidentia" (fidelity) and "Securitas" (security). Lettering above explains the iconography, and the front pair of horses are accompanied by a text recording the commission from Maximilian to Pirckheimer dated Innsbruck, 1518. Dürer's allegorical figures are based on prints of dancing nymphs by Andrea Mantegna. The work was originally intended to be the central part of the ''Triumph of Maximilian'', a work that was proposed in 1512, when Maximilian made his last visit to Nuremberg, and met Dürer. Dürer's first design drawings of 1512–13 are held by the Albertina in Vienna, and show a much smaller carriage. A watercolour of a second more elaborate scheme drawn in 1518 by Dürer with suggestions by

is also held by the Albertina. In the earlier works, Maximilian is accompanied in the carriage by members of his family, but they were omitted in the final print. After Maximilian's death in 1519, and the ending of the annual pension of 100 florins paid to Dürer under Maximilian, Dürer published the prints of the completed carriage as a separate work in 1522, with text in German, dedicated to Maximilian and Charles V. This may have been an attempt by Dürer to raise funds by selling the prints, or as a demonstration of his loyalty to encourage the restoration of his stipend. The remaining parts of the ''Triumphal Procession'', mostly designed by

Hans Burgkmair Hans Burgkmair the Elder (1473–1531) was a German Painting, painter and woodcut printmaker. Background Hans Burgkmair was born in Augsburg, the son of painter Thomas Burgkmair. His own son, Hans the Younger, later became a painter as well. From ...

from about 1512, were first published in 1526 on the orders of Archduke Ferdinand. The original blocks were used to print seven editions of the print. The first edition was published in Nuremberg by Dürer himself, with explanatory text by Pirckheimer in German in 1522, with a second edition in Latin in 1523. A third and fourth edition in German and Latin was published in around 1559, and a fifth edition was published in Venice in 1589 by the German printer Jacubus Chinig. Examples of the fifth edition are held by the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

and the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. A sixth and seventh edition were printed before 1601, by which time the woodblocks were becoming very worn. The original blocks are also held in the collection of the Albertina.

External links

''The Small Triumphal Car'' or the ''Burgundian Marriage''
Web Gallery of Art

Web Gallery of Art
First edition of the ''Great Triumphal Car''
British Museum
Fifth edition of the ''Great Triumphal Car''
British Museum *
''The great triumphal chariot of Maximilian I''
Library of Congress

References

''The Complete Woodcuts of Albrecht Dürer''
edited by W. Kurth, p. 37
''Albert Dürer: His Life and Work'', Volume 2
Moriz Thausing, p. 136-149
''The Essential Dürer By Albrecht Dürer''
Larry Silver, Jeffrey Chipps Smith, p. 142
A Treatise on Wood Engraving, Historical and Practical
William Andrew Chatto, p. 307-9,349

''The Book and Paper Group Annual'', Vol.14, 1995 * ttp://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/1322/14 Der Kaiser Maximilian I. Projekt Gutenberg {{Dürer 1522 works Prints by Albrecht Dürer Woodcuts Birds in art 16th-century prints Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor de:Triumphwagen#Das Motiv in Renaissance und Barock