Artwork
Coat of Arms with a Lion and a Cock
Coat of Arms with a Lion and a Cock is an ink print by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1502 and is held in the collection of the Chester Beatty Library.
About this work
Overview
Albrecht Dürer’s 1502 engraving titled *Coat of Arms with a Lion and a Cock* presents a heraldic composition on laid paper. The work measures a modest size typical of early‑sixteenth‑century prints and exemplifies Dürer’s skill in rendering intricate emblematic designs for a decorative purpose.
Subject & Meaning
The central motif combines a lion rearing on its hind legs with a cock perched above, both traditional symbols of courage and vigilance. The lion grasps a shield bearing three roundels, while the rooster’s flamboyant tail and prominent comb suggest a protective, watchful presence over the heraldic device.
Technique & Style
Executed by incising lines into a copper plate, the engraving employs Dürer’s characteristic fine hatching and cross‑hatching to model volume and texture. The background is filled with stylised foliage and cloud‑like swirls, creating a sense of suspension that frames the heraldic figures with decorative flourish.
Context
Created during Dürer’s early career, the print reflects the period’s demand for personalized coats of arms among the emerging bourgeois and noble patrons of the Holy Roman Empire. Such emblematic prints served both as status symbols and as portable representations of family or civic identity.
Artist & collection
Artist
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
![Madonna and Child [obverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--madonna-and-child-obverse--d7b8ebf05d22ebe5-w320.webp)
![Lot and His Daughters [reverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--lot-and-his-daughters-reverse--b4ebf9b282faa17a-w320.webp)
