Large Triumphal Carriage of Maximilian I

Albrecht Dürer

probably finished c. 1518 (published 1522)

Woodcut and letterpress

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A detailed woodcut depicts a large, ornate carriage pulled by two horses, with figures in classical attire guiding them. Text is present in the upper portion of the image. Dürer's magnificent allegorical design for the Imperial chariot was originally commissioned in 1512 as the centerpiece of Maximilian's Triumphal Procession, one of the most ambitious projects in the history of the graphic arts. Dürer's elaborately embellished carriage was intended to form the climax of the entire procession, showering the Emperor in personal glory, while underscoring his dynastic power. The final fully elaborated drawing for the woodcut was completed only in 1518, and the woodcut remained unfinished at the time of the Emperor's death in 1519. In 1522, Dürer published the Triumphal Chariot himself as an independent w