The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 25, 2024

The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian I:  Emperor Maximilian as Patron of Improvements in Artillery and Armor

The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian I: Emperor Maximilian as Patron of Improvements in Artillery and Armor

1515–17
(German, c. 1486–1520)
Catalogue raisonné: Dodgson I.521.1
Location: not on view

Description

Dressed in a full suit of armor, Maximilian (reigned 1486– 1519) stands among an array of helmets and weaponry. He holds a sword in one hand and a cannonball in the other, indicating both knightly skill and military power. A large sack of coins behind him alludes to his financial support of the engineers and craftsmen dedicated to the industry of war. Similar suits of armor in the Maximilian style are on view in the museum’s arms and armor court, including Maximilian’s personal suit of jousting armor. Traut created this woodcut for a monumental triumphal arch, printed with 195 woodblocks prepared by a team of printmakers. The emperor commissioned the massive print—almost 12 feet tall when assembled— to commemorate his gentility, generosity, and military conquests.
  • Vinzent Mayer;
    Keppel & Co.
    Vinzent Mayer; (Keppel & Co.)
  • "Prints and Armor." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 12, no. 6, (July 1925): 124-127 Mentioned: p. 126
  • Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
    Albrecht Dürer and His Influence. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 16-March 10, 1991).
    16th Century German Woodcuts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 24-February 26, 1939).
  • {{cite web|title=The Triumphal Arch of Maximilian I: Emperor Maximilian as Patron of Improvements in Artillery and Armor|url=false|author=Wolf Traut|year=1515–17|access-date=25 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1925.466