From a perspective of five centuries, it is not always possible to know for certain what the intention of an artist was when making any particular drawing. In many cases, however, the function is clear, particularly when it comes to preparatory drawings, which were produced as sketches for paintings (altarpieces, frescos, portraits, history scenes), stained glass windows, statues and reliefs, goldsmithery and engravings. For most of the compositions shown here, the finished work is also known, while for the others, the function can be deduced from similar works or from a knowledge of the artist’s oeuvre. The painting produced after the drawing by Jörg Breu the Elder, for example, can be seen in Munich, while Johann Matthias Kager’s altarpiece adorns a church in Dillingen. The Budapest composition by Caspar Freisinger was drawn in preparation for a fresco in a church in Ingolstadt. The huntingthemed stained-glass designs of Augustin Hirsvogel belong to a fifty-threepart series, and the windows based on the drawings seen here are now in German collections. Rare sketches by Veit Stoss show the stages of designing a sculpture, although no related statue is known. Among the goldsmithery designs, one was produced for Christoph Jamnitzer’s ewer, now held in Vienna. There is no known etching after Georg Pecham’s sketch, and it is likely none was ever made. Augustin Braun’s drawing, meanwhile, did serve as the preliminary sketch for an engraving.
The Age of DÜRER
