Neptune on a Sea Monster

The overall effect balances precise draftsmanship with a dramatic chiaroscuro typical of early 16th‑century printmaking.

Altdorfer employed the engraving method, incising fine lines into a copper plate and transferring them onto laid paper. Cross‑hatching creates a dense network of shadows that model the figures and suggest depth, while crisp, linear detailing defines the creature’s scales and fins. The overall effect balances precise draftsmanship with a dramatic chiaroscuro typical of early 16th‑century printmaking.

Created during Altdorfer’s period of association with the Nuremberg Little Masters, the print reflects his engagement with mythological subjects beyond his more familiar landscape paintings. Though the original plate is lost, surviving impressions have passed through several European collections, most recently entering a public museum’s print department in the early 20th century.