ABSTRACT
During the early decades of art collecting in the later sixteenth century, the first Northern artist to receive intense interest was Albrecht Dürer (d. 1528), whose revival climaxed around the year 1600 in what has been termed a “Dürer Renaissance.” 1 For example, in one of the earliest surviving print collections, the albums of Ferdinand, archduke of Tyrol from the late sixteenth century, the only artist who is singled out with volumes under his own name – in contrast to the prevailing thematic organization according to religion, moralities, or iconography that prevailed in the remainder of the albums – is Dürer. 2 In addition to such collecting of authentic works of drawings, or prints, Dürer was widely copied (including Aegidius Sadeler’s engravings after the artist’s drawings) and he was imitated, even forged, by a variety of artists – including Hans Hoffmann, Daniel Fröschl, Georg Hoefnagel, and, surprisingly, Bartholomeus Spranger – from the Prague court of Rudolf II, where the passion for collecting Dürer’s originals reached its peak. Rudolf’s acquisition of art by Dürer climaxed when he succeeded in obtaining The Feast of the Rose Garlands (1506) out of Venice’s church of San Bartolommeo; from there he had it carried by hand like a religious relic back to Prague, unfortunately resulting in its damaged condition.
