The Little Fortune is a highly influential early work created by Albrecht Dürer between 1495 and 1496. Executed in the demanding medium of engraving, this print marks a critical phase in the German Renaissance master’s integration of classical scholarship with Northern European realism. Dürer had recently returned from his first trip to Italy, and this early piece showcases his rapid assimilation of idealized forms and humanist allegory.
The technical precision of this engraving is evident in Dürer’s careful manipulation of the burin, utilizing tight, cross-hatched lines to generate rich volumetric shading and textural differentiation. The subject is an allegorical female nude, identified by scholars as either Fortuna (Fortune) or Nemesis, shown standing precariously atop a rolling sphere or globe, symbolizing the capriciousness of fate. The figure’s form and pose reflect the era’s renewed interest in ideal classical proportions, which Dürer applied to the representation of the female body.
As a significant example of Dürer’s early independent prints, The Little Fortune helped establish his fame across Europe, cementing his reputation as a printmaker whose work rivaled the complexity of painting. The widespread dissemination of such high-quality copperplate prints was instrumental in the career of the artist. This masterpiece of draftsmanship is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it provides insight into the pioneering artistic dialogue between Northern and Southern Europe during the late 15th century.
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