The Third Knot, tipped into The Painter's Manual and other texts

1525–38

Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper, tipped into book of woodcuts and letterpress on cream laid paper, in full alum-tawed pigskin over beveled wooden boards, sewn on raised thongs, blind tooled ‘all-over’ with small tools, with two brass hook-clasp fastenings and hand-sewn headbands

29.2 × 20 cm (11.5 × 7.9 in)

SEE IT IN PERSON

Not currently on view

In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

View at artic.edu ↗Plan a visit ↗

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

A posthumous impression of Albrecht Dürer’s first Knot has been tipped in opposite the frontispiece of this copy of On Human Proportion , Dürer’s book on anatomy for artists. It is the first element in a collected volume of late editions of several texts by the master ( On Human Proportion , 1532–38, On Fortifications , 1527, and The Painter’s Manual , 1538). This second state of the woodcut is the only one to include an ad monogram. Dürer’s fame was already such that his eminently recognizable nested initials had become an ornamental motif in their own right. Annotations on the print’s verso date it to August 14, 1606, about when the sheet was reprinted and probably when it was purchased.

Source ↗

Be the first to share your thoughts.

Community guidelines