{"product_id":"the-little-fortune-albrecht-durer","title":"The Little Fortune - Albrecht Dürer","description":"\u003cp\u003eAn early Renaissance engraving by Albrecht Dürer depicting the allegorical figure of Fortune balancing upon a sphere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlbrecht Dürer, the pre-eminent figure of the German Renaissance, produced this engraving during the late 1490s. The work depicts a female figure, often identified as Fortuna, balancing precariously upon a sphere. Her posture is contrapposto, a technique Dürer mastered to convey movement and anatomical accuracy. She holds a long staff topped with a thistle, a plant often associated with earthly suffering or the prickliness of fate. Her hair flows loosely down her back, and a piece of drapery winds around her body, providing a sense of motion against the static sphere.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDürer utilised the burin with precision to create the varied textures seen in the figure's skin, the metallic sheen of the sphere, and the delicate foliage of the thistle. The composition is stark, set against a plain background that focuses the viewer entirely on the allegorical subject. The sphere represents the instability of fortune, a common theme in European art of the period. By placing the figure in this unstable position, Dürer comments on the fickle nature of luck and the transient quality of human success.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis print demonstrates Dürer's early mastery of the engraving medium, which he elevated to a fine art form. His ability to render volume through cross-hatching and fine line work is evident here, particularly in the modelling of the figure's torso and legs. The monogram AD, located at the bottom centre, identifies the work as a product of his workshop. This piece remains a primary example of how Renaissance artists integrated classical allegorical motifs with the technical rigour of Northern European printmaking traditions. It is a study in balance, both in terms of the physical subject and the artist's control over the copper plate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"margin-top:2rem;padding-top:1.5rem;border-top:1px solid #e5e5e5;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"font-size:0.85rem;color:#888;font-weight:600;margin:0 0 0.75rem;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.05em;\"\u003eYou might also like\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0.5rem;\"\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/justice-jacob-matham\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003eJustice by Jacob Matham\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/woman-watering-a-plant-giovanni-antonio-da-brescia\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#f8f9fa;border:1px solid #e5e5e5;border-radius:20px;padding:0.35rem 0.85rem;font-size:0.8rem;color:#2a555a;font-weight:500;text-decoration:none !important;background-image:none !important;\"\u003eWoman Watering a Plant by Giovanni Antonio da Brescia\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Albrecht Dürer","offers":[{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ -","offer_id":59115702321487,"sku":null,"price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ -","offer_id":59115705303375,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Poster \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ -","offer_id":59115705336143,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":59115705368911,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":59115705401679,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A4 (21x29.7 cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":59115705434447,"sku":null,"price":45.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":59115705467215,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":59115705499983,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A3 (29.7 x 42  cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":59115705532751,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Black frame","offer_id":59115705565519,"sku":null,"price":90.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Wood frame","offer_id":59115705598287,"sku":null,"price":90.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Fine Art Framed \/ A2 (42 x 59.4  cm) \/ Dark wood frame","offer_id":59115705631055,"sku":null,"price":90.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0833\/9292\/1935\/files\/The-Little-Fortune_Poster_CompositorV1_1791951841706.jpg?v=1791952423","url":"https:\/\/www.solisprints.co.uk\/products\/the-little-fortune-albrecht-durer","provider":"Solis Prints","version":"1.0","type":"link"}