Ulrich Varnbüler

Ulrich Varnbüler is a monumental woodcut portrait designed by the celebrated German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) in 1522. While Dürer created the original block design, this specific impression was printed much later by the esteemed Dutch cartographer and printer Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638). This complex production history highlights the enduring demand for Dürer’s designs across the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The technical execution of the piece is highly sophisticated for its medium. It is rendered as a black woodcut on ivory laid paper, but achieves exceptional depth through the skillful use of added brown and sepia tone blocks. This innovative application of color blocks allowed Dürer, and subsequent printers like Blaeu, to create subtle shading and volumetric form, successfully challenging the tonal limitations typically associated with relief prints. The result is a painterly effect that significantly elevates the status of the print.

The subject of this powerful portrait is Ulrich Varnbüler, an Imperial Councilor to Charles V, who is depicted wearing an enormous, distinctively feathered hat that signifies his high official status. Dürer was instrumental in elevating printmaking in Germany, transforming the woodcut medium from a simple means of reproduction into an independent art form. The portrait exemplifies the exacting draftsmanship and psychological realism that define the German Renaissance style. This impression of Ulrich Varnbüler resides in the esteemed collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, serving as a primary reference point for students of Renaissance prints.