The Rhinoceros - Albrecht Dürer

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer

"The Rhinoceros" by Albrecht Dürer (1515) Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper.

Commentary

"The Rhinoceros" by Albrecht Dürer (1515) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. Themes to notice include woodcut. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints a nd Drawings collection. Albrecht Dürer is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528. The work is cataloged within a Germany cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as woodcut, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 21.5 × 30 cm (8 1/2 × 11 13/16 in.); Sheet: 24.8 × 30.5 cm (9 13/16 × 12 1/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include woodcut. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/30283

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data