Amand-Durand - Coat of Arms with Skull By Albrect Durer, 1876
Maker: Charles Amand-Durand (1831-1905) from an engraving by Albrecht Durer
Born: France
Active: France
Medium: Amand-Durand heliogravure
Size: 6 1/2 in x 9 1/4 in
Location:
Object No: 2022.509a
Shelf: N-10
Publication:
Other Collections:
Provenance: welsh bridge
Rank: 200
Notes: In this somewhat enigmatic memento mori image, Dürer (1471-1528) represents various materials--feathers, metal, foliage, hair, cloth and flesh--to tout his skill as an up-and-coming virtuoso in the art of engraving. According to Bartrum, "The figure of Death is here disguised as a wild man, the traditional German and Swiss mythological figure who is seen frequently in heraldic imagery of the period . . . The true identity of Death is revealed on the shield to the onlooker, but it is not recognized by the lady," ( Albrecht Dürer and his Legacy, London, 2002, page 148). Bartsch 101; Meder 98.
Charles Amand-Durand, born in Cheny (Yonne), was an established and reputable French painter & engraver who lived from 1831-1905. He was a passionate and talented artist who deeply admired the 15th, 16th, and 17th century Old Masters’ engravings. However, whilst studying the engravings Durand could see that many of them were in a poor condition, either because of the ravages of time, or because they had also started out as inferior impressions, taken from worn-out copper plates, that may have also been reworked or adulterated by other hands. The original copper plates used by Rembrandt, Durer, Beham, and others, were now too worn to be printed from and there were too few fine prints in existence that reflected the artists' true intentions. Durand's task of recreating the early etching plates created by these old masters started when the main curator of the Louvre gave him the important mission of restoring the worn down and fragile engravings made by Rembrandt. The etchings Durand created were based on research and studies he did at the Louvre and other museums and also private collections. And in order to form exact reproductions, he used as his guide, not the worn original copper or wood plates, but the 1st & 2nd state prints of the original works. He then duplicated the images onto new copper plates, which he often reworked to achieve an incredible clarity and accuracy of 1/1000mm through his own technical abilities. His main series of facsimiles began in 1869 with a major periodical publication, Etchings and Engravings of the Old Masters, which contained 401 pieces reproduced under the direction of G. Duplessis, curator of the Department of Prints at the National Library. This was followed by the publications of engraved works by van Dijck (21 plates, 1875), Dürer (108 pl., 1876), Potter (21 pl., 1877), Claude Gellée (42 pl., 1848), Mantegna ( 27 pl., 1879), Ruisdael (12 pl., 1880), Schongauer (117 pl., 1881), Lucas de Leyde (174 pl., 1882), A. van Ostade (51 pl., no text), and finally by Rembrandt (350 pl., no text, 1883). His works can be identified by the red Helio-A.D stamp on the verso (included in the Lugt Stamp Catalogue #2934). Like others before him, Charles Armand-Durand attempted to democratize the art industry by reproducing the works of famed artists which were hidden from the general public in the repositories of the French National Library, or in the ownership of private collectors and preserve the original quality for future generations.
Durands re-engravings became so well respected that major collectors & institutions throughout Europe sought to acquire them during the 19th century and beyond.
To view our archive organized by Collections, visit: OUR COLLECTIONS
For information about reproducing this image, visit: THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY ARCHIVE
Amand-Durand - Coat of Arms with Skull By Albrect Durer, 1876
Maker: Charles Amand-Durand (1831-1905) from an engraving by Albrecht Durer
Born: France
Active: France
Medium: Amand-Durand heliogravure
Size: 6 1/2 in x 9 1/4 in
Location:
Object No: 2022.509a
Shelf: N-10
Publication:
Other Collections:
Provenance: welsh bridge
Rank: 200
Notes: In this somewhat enigmatic memento mori image, Dürer (1471-1528) represents various materials--feathers, metal, foliage, hair, cloth and flesh--to tout his skill as an up-and-coming virtuoso in the art of engraving. According to Bartrum, "The figure of Death is here disguised as a wild man, the traditional German and Swiss mythological figure who is seen frequently in heraldic imagery of the period . . . The true identity of Death is revealed on the shield to the onlooker, but it is not recognized by the lady," ( Albrecht Dürer and his Legacy, London, 2002, page 148). Bartsch 101; Meder 98.
Charles Amand-Durand, born in Cheny (Yonne), was an established and reputable French painter & engraver who lived from 1831-1905. He was a passionate and talented artist who deeply admired the 15th, 16th, and 17th century Old Masters’ engravings. However, whilst studying the engravings Durand could see that many of them were in a poor condition, either because of the ravages of time, or because they had also started out as inferior impressions, taken from worn-out copper plates, that may have also been reworked or adulterated by other hands. The original copper plates used by Rembrandt, Durer, Beham, and others, were now too worn to be printed from and there were too few fine prints in existence that reflected the artists' true intentions. Durand's task of recreating the early etching plates created by these old masters started when the main curator of the Louvre gave him the important mission of restoring the worn down and fragile engravings made by Rembrandt. The etchings Durand created were based on research and studies he did at the Louvre and other museums and also private collections. And in order to form exact reproductions, he used as his guide, not the worn original copper or wood plates, but the 1st & 2nd state prints of the original works. He then duplicated the images onto new copper plates, which he often reworked to achieve an incredible clarity and accuracy of 1/1000mm through his own technical abilities. His main series of facsimiles began in 1869 with a major periodical publication, Etchings and Engravings of the Old Masters, which contained 401 pieces reproduced under the direction of G. Duplessis, curator of the Department of Prints at the National Library. This was followed by the publications of engraved works by van Dijck (21 plates, 1875), Dürer (108 pl., 1876), Potter (21 pl., 1877), Claude Gellée (42 pl., 1848), Mantegna ( 27 pl., 1879), Ruisdael (12 pl., 1880), Schongauer (117 pl., 1881), Lucas de Leyde (174 pl., 1882), A. van Ostade (51 pl., no text), and finally by Rembrandt (350 pl., no text, 1883). His works can be identified by the red Helio-A.D stamp on the verso (included in the Lugt Stamp Catalogue #2934). Like others before him, Charles Armand-Durand attempted to democratize the art industry by reproducing the works of famed artists which were hidden from the general public in the repositories of the French National Library, or in the ownership of private collectors and preserve the original quality for future generations.
Durands re-engravings became so well respected that major collectors & institutions throughout Europe sought to acquire them during the 19th century and beyond.
To view our archive organized by Collections, visit: OUR COLLECTIONS
For information about reproducing this image, visit: THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY ARCHIVE