Modern research has shown that, the real cause of Darer'. visit to Venice was a commission from the Herman merchants of Venice to Paint a large altarpiece for their chapel in San Bar tolommeo. This picture, long in St•how Althey, Prague, is now in the Itudolphinum of that city. It has been much damaged by restoration; but even now We en 11 see that it must have been won derful in e position and color. Its subject is the "Festival of the Rosary." and it represents the Virgin and the Christ-Child giving wreaths of roses to the Emperor Maximilian and to Pope Julius II.. while Saint Dominic and angels do the like to the bystanders. His "Christ Disputing with the Doctors" (15061, now in the Barberini Palace, Rome. was executed. as the inscription records, in the space of five ,lays, and show Dfirer's facility and skill with the brush. Among his other religious subjects are the "Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand" (1508), ordered by Fred erick the \Vise, now in the Vienna Museum of Fine Arts, and the Heller altar piece. of which Clue original was destroyed. The "Adoration of the Trinity' (1511). in the Museum of Vienna, is the best•preserved of Diirer's pictures, fine in coloring and devout in sentiment.
Among his other works of the second period are a small but exquisite "Christ on the Cross" (1506, Dresden), exquisite in execution and sentiment, and a "'Madonna with the Pear" (1512, Munich). His "Adam and Eve" (1507), in Madrid (the Florentine examples being copies or replicas), show what be learned in Italy as to treatment of the nude. It is somewhat idealized, not a copy of the model, as was custom ary in Germany. llis heads of "Saints James and Philip" (1516, Uffizi) are of great strength. and his "Lucretia" (1518, Muniehl, a fine nude, is one of his few mythological subjects. Among his portraits are two fine examples of unknown young men. at Vienna and at Hampton Court. Ilis well-known portrait of Charles the Great, with erown and sceptre, and that of the Emperor Sigismund (both in the Germanic Museum, Nu remberg), date from 1510.
In the summer of 1520 Diirer, accompanied by his wife and servant. made a journey to the Netherlands which lasted over a year. His ob ject was to meet the new Emperor. Charles V., when he landed at. Antwerp. in order to obtain a renewal of the pension which he had enjoyed tinder Maximilian. Ile has left us an interesting iournal of his journey. and he also kept a sketch book, many of the leaves of which survive. 11e was received with great honor all along his jour ney, especially by the painters of Flanders. who at Bruges. Ghent, and Antwerp gave him festi vals. Margaret of Parma, Regent of the Nether lands, received him with honor, and he painted a portrait of the King of Denmark. Ile was
present at the Emi)•ror's coronation at. Aix-la Chapelle. where his pension was renewed. Ile was much impressed with the art of the Nether lands, especially with that of the Van Eyeks in the Ghent altar. and as a result lie became more naturalistic than ever. The works produced after hi. return to Nuremberg belong to his third and greatest period of painting.
The year 1526 is remarkable for the comple tion of a number of Diirer's best paintings. First to be mentioned are his "Four Apostles" (some times called the Temperament."). com posed of two panels of life-size figures of the Apostles John. Peter, Mark, and Paul. They were executed at a time when the use of religious images was coming under the ban of the Refor mation. For years they remained in the coun cil chamber of Nuremberg, but are now in the Munich Gallery. They are Diirer's greatest paintings, and never did a painter's art produce stronger and more individual representations. The heads of the Apostles are dignified and sub lime. the drapery is simple and majestic, and although the details are executed with great (-are, they do not detract from the general effect. The coloring is faultless, especially in the white and red robes of John. The same year he com pleted his best portrait—that of Hieronymus Holzschuher. The head is of wonderful strength and character. and the difficult. color scheme is skillfully handled ; the hair is perfectly white. while the eyes are blue and the face is ruddy and the background green. In the same year he completed the portraits of the two other aldermen of Nuremberg—Jakob Muffel (Berlin) and Jo hannes Kleeherger (Munich). The fine portrait of Hails Imhof (Madrid), a third Nuremberg councilor, dates from 1521.
Diirer passed the latter part of his life in affluence, and was held in high honor by his townsmen. as much for his character as for his art. ••Ilis least merit was his art," said Me lanchtlion. His most intimate friend was Willi bald Pirkheimer, the Nuremberg merchant and humanist: be also enjoyed the friendship of Erasmus. Luther, and Melanchthom and was highly thought of by Frederick the Wise and the Emperor Maximilian, who allowed him an annual pension of 100 gulden. In 1518 he began his portrait of the Emperor at the Diet of Augs burg, finished in 1519, and now in Vienna. In 1516 he carried on his famous correspondence with Raphael. who sent him drawings in return for a crayon portrait of himself. Tie died at Nuremberg on April 15, 152S, of consumption, contracted in the Netherlands. He was buried in the Churehyard of Saint John. A fine monument by Rawl' was erected to him in the Fischmarkt, where his house still stands.