Albrecht Dürer in Nuremberg. 1854. Oil on canvas, 23¾ x 28¾ inches (60.4 x 73 cm). National Gallery of Scotland, accession no. NG969. Click on image to enlarge it.
Dürer was an artist greatly admired by the artists within the Pre-Raphaelite circle, at least partly due to the influence of both John Ruskin and of Scott. In 1854 Scott travelled to Germany and visited Dürer’s house that was still standing near the Thiergarten Gate of Nurnberg. In his Autobiographical Notes he recalled: “I painted a picture from the balcony at the end of Albert Durer’s house in Nurnberg, showing the open space at the Thiergarten Thor, with the Schloss beyond, and Albert looking out at the passing crowd” (I, 319) This work is painted with painstaking topographical accuracy.
In 1869 Scott ‘s Life and Works of Albert Dürer was published which Scott described as “a book good for the English public at the time” (Vol. II, 193). Scott owned a large number of prints by Dürer in his collection.
Bibliography
Minto, W. Ed. Autobiographical Notes of the Life of William Bell Scott. 2 Vols. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1892.
Last modified 6 February 2022