Quiz: The Age of Dürer

Test your knowledge about our Dürer exhibition and our collection.

The seal of Nikolaus Esterhazy

The Museum of Fine Arts’ internationally renowned Collection of Prints and Drawings comprises almost 9,000 drawings and 100,000 graphic sheets executed with various techniques. A significant part of this material comes from the collection of Nikolaus II Esterhazy (1765–1833), which first entered the collection of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1870 and later those of the National Picture Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts. The seal of the princely collection can be seen in many of the graphic sheets displayed at our exhibition: the monogram NE (Nikolaus Esterhazy) and a small crown on top. How many pieces do you think the princely collection comprised at the time of its purchase?

51,305 graphic sheets and 3,535 drawings

20,131 graphic sheets and 18 drawings

5,678 graphic sheets and 214 drawings

Albrecht Dürer, Adam and Eve, 1504 (detail), 1504, részlet

Where was the father of Albrecht Dürer, the most influential master of the German Renaissance, born and what did he do?

Dürer’s father was born in Nuremberg where he worked as a cabinet-maker, which is how Dürer learnt the secrets of woodcut-making at a young age.

Dürer’s father came from the former town of Ajtós, a town located near Gyula in Hungary. In 1455 he settled in Nuremberg where he worked as a goldsmith. The delicate draughtsmanship of Dürer’s graphic works and their rich linear system both developed thanks to what the young Dürer learnt in the goldsmith’s workshop.

Dürer’s father was a wealthy Bohemian merchant and his son inherited his business acumen. Albrecht Dürer sold his woodcuts and prints, which brought him fame across Europe, at a high profit.

Bohemian master, Saint Margaret, ca. 1410–1415

One of the rare treasures in the Museum of Fine Arts’ collection is this drawing of Saint Margaret, which was originally probably made for a sculpture or as a model sheet. Although the master of this work is unknown, it is likely by a German or Bohemian artist. The delicate draughtsmanship as well as the clarity and the balance of the composition make it a stunning example of International Gothic art.

Do you know what the ornate crown worn by the saint refers to?

Being of royal descent, Saint Margaret of Antioch wears the crown in her own right.

This crown is not a secular but religious symbol: Margaret was martyred for not renouncing Christianity and she received the crown of martyrdom.

The crown is a simple decorative motif nicely harmonising with the cross in her right hand.

Albrecht Dürer, The Four Witches

The title of this sheet, executed in 1497, has a complicated meaning that is still not fully understood. It depicts four naked women standing turned towards one another in a narrow space. There is a skull at their feet and a devil-like creature in the background. In research Dürer’s first dated copper engraving is traditionally linked with the literary work titled Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of Witches), published in 1487. Can you guess what this book with its peculiar title is about?

The amply published Hammer of Witches is a collection of popular jokes from the Middle Ages, which is still a source of inspiration for people with a comic vein.

It is a specialist volume on war discussing the military and strategic use of various weapons.

Malleus Maleficarium is a collection of magical practices and spells used by witches and, since its authors were inquisitors, it also provides a shockingly detailed discussion of the methods of their torture and execution.

Albrecht Dürer: Az Apokalipszis négy lovasa, 1497–1498 körül

The young Dürer’s most successful graphic work was the woodcut series of 15 sheets, titled Apocalypse, illustrating the last book of the New Testament, the Revelation to John. Displayed at our exhibition is the most famous sheet of the series, the one depicting the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. According to the description in chapter 6 of the Book of Revelation, the four horsemen each bear a weapon used in the world’s destruction.

The symbols of death and war are obvious but can you guess what the scales in the third horseman’s hand symbolise?

The scales refer to the zodiac sign of Libra, with which the date of the end of the world is determined.

The scales are a reference to the final judgement pronounced upon all mortals.

The scales refer to the increasing price of food and the devaluation of money, i.e., in effect to famine.

Albrecht Dürer, Melencolia I, and a detail

The objects, tools and measuring instruments in Dürer’s engraving titled Melencolia I symbolise the disciplines of architecture, geometry and astrology, while the female figure engrossed in thought and the title itself alludes to the theory of the four temperaments, which was extremely popular in the Middle Ages. In the background you can see a magic square called Jupiter’s Square (Sigillum Iovis) with numbers from 1 to 16: the sum of every row, column and diagonal as well as the four squares in the centre and the four squares in the corners is 34. The year the engraving was made in, 1514, appears in the square too.

So when was the engraving Melencolia I made?

I don’t know, I’m not good at calculus.

Well, you don’t even need to count here: in 1514.

Since the Jupiter Square is made up of 16 little squares and the year 1500 was believed to have great significance by astrologers, the solution must be 1516.

Lucas Cranach the Elder, Saint George, ca. 1506

Saint George, the dragon-slayer, was an ideal for medieval knights. His popular legend inspired numerous old and new tales and stories. His cult was given renewed impetus when Emperor Frederick founded the chivalrous Order of Saint George around 1468–1469 in the spirit of combatting the Ottoman incursions. In medieval times the knight Saint George was one of the most often depicted Catholic saints. Do you know what was under the scope of his protection?

In other words, who and what was he a patron saint of?

He was the patron saint of science and arts. His attribute, the dragon, symbolises challenges, which every creative mind must overcome.

He was the patron saint of armed bodies, armourers, knights and chivalrous orders as well as journeymen. His depiction as a dragon-slayer symbolises the eternal struggle between good and evil.

He was the patron saint of healers, barbers and doctors since according to the legend he had a magical brew made from the poison of the dragon he had slayed and used it to help those afflicted by ailments.

Your new question!

Jörg Breu the Elder, The Story of Lucretia, ca. 1528

Jörg Breu the Elder’s drawing depicting the story of Lucretia is a preliminary sketch for a painting dated 1528. You can clearly see the perspectival lines in the sheet, which helped the artist to construct depth of space and create a well-organised composition for the crowded scene.

But who was Lucretia and why is her story significant?

Breu definitely depicted the infamous poisoner, Lucretia Borgia, who died in 1519 and whose immoral life was the subject of legends that spread all over Europe. The figure on the right side of the foreground must be one of Lucretia Borgia’s victims.

Lucretia was a famous courtesan in early 1500s Venice, who dared to create scandalous scenes in public and thus calling the attention of aristocratic men to herself. Standing in the circle of a group of men in the left corner she is shown holding a dagger to her chest.

Lucretia was a famed woman in Rome living under the reign of the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (535–509 BC). Her husband was away at war when the tyrant’s son, Tarquinius the Younger, wanted to defile her. In the spirit of marital loyalty she rather chose suicide and stabbed herself in the heart. This scene can be seen on the left side of the foreground.

Augustin Hirschvogel, Squirrel Hunt with a Crossbow, ca. 1530–1536

Augustin Hirschvogel’s preparatory drawing titled Squirrel Hunt with a Crossbow forms part of a series of 53 hunting scenes that served the basis for decorative stained glass windows. The drawings show the pursuing and capturing of wild animals, such as bears, wolves, deer and fowl and provide a faithful picture of the hunting methods used in the sixteenth century as well as hunters’ attire and weaponry. Do you know why the crossbow was especially efficient compared with the traditional bow?

It is far easier to use a crossbow than a traditional longbow, so crossbowmen could be trained within a shorter period of time than longbow archers.

Although traditional longbows have a longer range, greater precision and speed, crossbow archery was regarded as a more attractive and nobler sport than traditional archery.

The crossbow is a cold weapon fastened to a butt. Since it has a winding and firing mechanism, it requires less strength to cock it than to cock traditional bows.

Hans Hoffmann, Frog, ca. 1582

Hans Hoffmann is an artist whose activity can be linked to scientific naturalism, which developed in the late sixteenth century. His oeuvre contains numerous plant and animal depictions executed with botanical and zoological accuracy. One of the most stunning animal depictions at our exhibition shows an ordinary little animal, an amphibian also indigenous to Hungary. Do you know what species does the frog in the picture belong to?

common toad

common water frog

European grass frog

Kertész, Moholy-Nagy, Capa…

To Be Continued…

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