A generationSelf-appointed in January 1521 Albrecht Durer In Antwerp, an unusual model entered the studio. “This man is 93 years old, healthy and full of energy,” wrote the Nuremberg painter, who had spent six months in the Flemish trading city, in a portrait drawn during the conference. Dürer knew what he wanted: a sign of survival, a promise of old age. It was not until November that Emperor Maximilian granted him an annuity of one hundred guilders a year in 1515, which ceased after the death of the ruler, and his newly crowned grandson Charles V approved it again. But shortly after hearing the good news, Durer contracted a serious illness during a trip to Zeeland. Traditional symptoms suggest malaria. In all likelihood, he died in 1528, when he was only 57 years old.
However, during his modeling meeting with the old man, Dürer recovered somewhat. Only two months later, he drew a picture with a sensational drawing. When depicting St. Jerome in the study, Dürer abandoned his most important attributes (cardinal’s hat, lion), as he himself used in the etchings of 1515, and pointed the godfather to a skull. It is displayed as a living memorial forest-and it happens to have the characteristics of more than ninety years old.
In the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum in Aachen, dedicated to Dürer’s so-called trip to the Netherlands, Hieronymus’ paintings mark the end of the handwritten artwork in this section. It was borrowed from Portugal, and there is a smaller panel painting in the showcase next to it, depicting Jerome in 1494, which is Dürer’s early work. This can usually be seen in the National Gallery in London, which together with the Aachen Museum designed this exhibition for the 500th anniversary of this trip. Aachen should have started it a year ago, and London ended the subsequent show in May. Then there was Corona.
Postponed for one year, but no loss
Both houses have postponed projects that have been underway for many years, and the biggest miracle is that almost all lenders have cooperated. This is of great significance to ancient masterpieces, and even more so in Dürer’s case. His paintings are both iconic and exquisite. These pictures are subtle miracles, and even more exquisite. Therefore, it is no wonder that of the nearly two hundred objects exhibited in Aachen, more than half will no longer be exhibited in London; there are about seventy new works, including the magnificent Halle Madonna from Washington, Dürer in Bailey Painted in 1498 under the influence of Nepalese art. Madrid is hardly so famous-but which Dürer painting is not? -A picture of “Christ among the Scribes” loaned to London in 1506.
