Artwork
The Little Standard Bearer
The Little Standard Bearer is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Altdorfer. It dates from 1517 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Albrecht Altdorfer’s *The Little Standard Bearer* is an early 16th‑century engraving executed on laid paper. Dated to roughly 1517, the print measures a modest size typical of the period’s intaglio works and presents a solitary figure against a detailed landscape background.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is a young man in contemporary Renaissance dress, complete with a feather‑capped hat, puff‑sleeved shirt and a cloak draped over his left shoulder. He holds a staff in his right hand and rests his left hand on his hip, suggesting the role of a standard‑bearer or a soldier in a ceremonial context.
Technique & Style
Altdorfer employs fine cross‑hatching to render texture and volume, achieving a nuanced play of light across fabric, feather and foliage. The composition reflects the Danube School’s characteristic integration of figures within vivid, naturalistic settings, while the meticulous line work aligns him with the Nuremberg Little Masters.
History & Provenance
Created in Altdorfer’s native Regensburg, the engraving was likely produced for a limited market of collectors interested in the emerging genre of landscape‑oriented prints. Surviving copies have appeared in several European collections, tracing a provenance that underscores the artist’s reputation as both painter and printmaker.
Context
Altdorfer, a pioneer of independent landscape treatment, situates the figure within a broader topography of buildings and trees, a hallmark of the Danube School’s synthesis of narrative and environment. The work exemplifies early Renaissance interest in combining portraiture, military iconography, and natural scenery.
Artist & collection
Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…
