Coat of Arms with a Lion and a Cock

The detailed engraving Coat of Arms with a Lion and a Cock was created by Albrecht Dürer between 1502 and 1503. Executed as a copperplate engraving on laid paper, this work is a seminal example of the highly sophisticated prints produced during the height of the German Renaissance. Dürer, already recognized internationally for his skill in transforming line into texture and volume, demonstrated his technical mastery in the graphic arts medium. This piece belongs to the critical period of 1501 to 1550, when the artist established the definitive aesthetic standards for printmaking that would influence European art for centuries.

The subject of the work centers on an elaborate heraldic device, featuring a prominent shield divided into two halves. The left half bears a fierce lion rampant, while the right displays a proud, strutting cock (rooster). This combination of animals, combined with the detailed helm and mantle above, is interpreted by scholars as symbolizing specific familial or civic alliances, or potentially representing a compilation of personal virtues. The intensity of the work highlights Dürer’s ability to imbue even a seemingly formal commission with dynamic energy, utilizing meticulous hatching and cross-hatching to render the texture of the beasts and the surrounding vegetation.

This exceptional example of early 16th-century German printmaking is preserved in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. The enduring quality of Dürer’s prints ensures their continued relevance to art history. As high-resolution images of this masterwork are frequently made available through public domain initiatives, scholars and students worldwide can closely examine the minute details of Dürer’s revolutionary engraving technique.