An artwork on Galleree from Cleveland Museum of Art.
About the artwork
Dead Blue Roller1583
Hans Hoffmann
Half a century after the death of the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, his work continued to inspire artists and collectors. Hans Hoffmann was well known for his copies of Dürer’s nature studies, and in 1583 he faithfully copied Dürer’s celebrated drawing of a dead blue roller of 1512 in this exquisite watercolor. A network of very fine brushstrokes imitates the individual plumes of the bird’s underside while simultaneously suggesting an overall soft, downy texture. Several other copies of Dürer's composition exist, including one by Hoffmann in London. Both the London sheet and this sheet were signed with Hoffman’s prominent monogram and dated, indicating that he could not have intended them to pass as originals by the older master. Likely, he meant the drawing as an homage to the greatest German artist of the 1500s; his endeavor may have been sponsored by the Nuremberg-based Imhoff family, who owned Dürer's blue roller around the time this drawing was made.
This realistic portrait of a dead bird signals a turn toward objective depictions of nature in the 1500s.
watercolor and gouache with touches of gold
Sheet: 29.2 x 16.9 cm (11 1/2 x 6 5/8 in.); Secondary Support: 29.2 x 16.9 cm (11 1/2 x 6 5/8 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund
In the hushed corners of art history, whispers of inspiration flutter like gentle breezes through the ages. Half a century after the world bid farewell to Albrecht Dürer, a luminary of the German Renaissance, his artistry still cast a long shadow, stirring the imaginations of countless artists and collectors. Among them was Hans Hoffmann, a devoted admirer who found himself drawn to Dürer's exquisite portrayals of nature.
Picture it: the year is 1583, and the sun filters softly through the windows of Hoffmann’s studio, illuminating the delicate strokes of his brush. In front of him lies a drawing, a tribute to Dürer's celebrated depiction of a blue roller, a bird once flown through the skies of 1512. With each stroke, Hoffmann meticulously renders the details, a network of fine brushstrokes dancing across the paper, capturing the vanishing hues of the bird’s underside. The image breathes with life, its soft downy texture evoking the gentle rustle of feathery plumes in a serene breeze.
Yet, as he worked, Hoffmann knew that his creation would not be mistaken for the work of the master himself. His signature monogram, bold and prominent, punctuated the watercolor with an unmistakable declaration: this was a tribute, not an imitation. This drawing, along with another held in London, spoke volumes. They were markers of admiration and reverence, hints of a relationship across time, as if Dürer's spirit watched over Hoffmann’s diligent hand.
Histories intertwine, and amidst this artistic homage lies the influence of the Imhoff family, patrons from Nuremberg who once possessed Dürer's blue roller, grounding the drawing in a tangible legacy. Hoffmann’s watercolor was more than just an attempt to recreate; it was a heartfelt gesture, paying homage to one of Germany’s greatest artists.
As the years unfurl their pages, human stories weave through strokes of brush and fabric of time—linking artists, families, and inspirations, breathing life into centuries-old creations. In the stillness of the gallery, we can feel the pulse of those connections, resonating deep within us, transcending the boundaries of time, reminding us that art and the stories behind it are ever-living, ever-breathing.
About the artist
Creating transformative experiences through art “for the benefit of all the people forever.”The Cleveland Museum of Art is renowned for the quality and breadth of its collection, which includes more than 66,500 artworks and spans 6,000 years of achievement in the arts. The artworks shared on this platform are sourced from the museum's Open Access data under the CC0 license. No endorsement is implied.Address: 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, OH, USA 44106
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