The Middle Section of the Entryway to the Central Portal, the Columns Decorated by Sirens and Sleeping Soldiers Behind, from the Arch of Honor, proof, dated 1515, printed 1517-18

The Middle Section of the Entryway to the Central Portal, the Columns Decorated by Sirens and Sleeping Soldiers Behind, from the Arch of Honor, proof, dated 1515, printed 1517-18, is a highly detailed woodcut by the renowned German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer. This work is a crucial component of the massive Ehrenpforte (Arch of Honor), a temporary, three-dimensional architectural monument commissioned by Emperor Maximilian I. Conceived as a public statement celebrating the Emperor's accomplishments, lineage, and virtues, the complete Arch required the assembly of 192 separate woodblocks upon its completion.

Dürer served as the chief designer and primary coordinator for the entire Arch project, personally executing many of its most complex pictorial blocks, including this one. The composition here details the elaborate decorative scheme of the columns flanking the main portal. Utilizing classical motifs favored during the Renaissance, Dürer includes figures of Sirens and the forms of Sleeping Soldiers, rendering them with the meticulous line work characteristic of his mature output in prints. The use of the woodcut medium allowed for the creation of multiple impressions, enabling the dissemination of this significant imperial propaganda across the Holy Roman Empire.

Despite the 1515 date inscribed, the final printing and distribution of the complete Arch composition took place between 1517 and 1518. The sheer scale and complexity of the collaborative endeavor stand as a testament to Dürer’s technical genius and his crucial role in elevating graphic media during the 16th century. This impression of the woodcut is preserved within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.