Colophon (Albrecht Dürer) - Albrecht Dürer
Archival giclée
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Description
A historic 1511 woodcut colophon by Albrecht Dürer, featuring a stern Latin warning against the unauthorised reproduction of his prints.
This woodcut text, known as the colophon, originates from the 1511 edition of Albrecht Dürer's Life of the Virgin series. It is a significant document in the history of intellectual property and printmaking. The Latin text serves as a formal warning to potential copyists and unauthorised printers who might attempt to replicate Dürer's work.
In the text, Dürer asserts his rights, noting that he has received a privilege from the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximilian I. This imperial protection granted the artist exclusive rights to produce and sell his prints within the empire. The tone is stern and direct, threatening legal consequences, including the confiscation of goods, for anyone who dares to infringe upon his creative labour.
Visually, the work is a study in early sixteenth-century typography. The characters are rendered in a blackletter script, typical of the period, with a clear, structured layout that occupies the page with authority. The woodcut process requires the artist to carve the negative space around each letter, a task that demands precision and patience. This piece provides a rare glimpse into the professional challenges faced by artists during the Renaissance, as the rise of the printing press made the unauthorised reproduction of images a common issue. It is a functional object, yet it carries the weight of Dürer's reputation and his struggle to maintain control over his artistic output. The clean, stark presentation of the text makes it an interesting choice for those who appreciate the intersection of historical legal documents and the craft of early printmaking.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Colophon (Albrecht Dürer) - Albrecht Dürer
Artist Biography
Albrecht Durer
He was born in Nuremberg, the son of a Hungarian goldsmith. He trained as a goldsmith himself before apprenticing with the painter and printmaker Michael Wolgemut. The metalwork training gave him the manual precision that made his prints extraordinary. Melencolia I, Knight, Death and the Devil, and Saint Jerome in His Study, all made between 1513 and 1514, are among the finest engravings ever produced. The density of cross-hatching, the control of tonal gradation, the rendering of fur, feathers, and stone: these are virtuoso performances in a medium that most artists treated as reproductive.
He drew a rhinoceros from a description and a sketch sent by letter. He had never seen one. Dürer's Rhinoceros (1515) is anatomically wrong in several respects (the animal has an extra horn and armour plating) but it remained the standard European image of a rhinoceros for three centuries.
He was one of the first artists to paint self-portraits as a primary subject. The Self-Portrait at Twenty-Eight (1500) shows him facing the viewer directly, with long hair and a fur coat, in a pose traditionally reserved for Christ. It was either an act of supreme confidence or deliberate blasphemy. Probably both.
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