Professor Butter Beard and the “Portrait of Dürer's Father at 70”
“A prudent man will always try to follow in the footsteps of great men and imitate those who have been truly outstanding, so that, if he is not quite as skillful as they, at least some of their ability may rub off on him.” – Niccolo Machiavelli, “The Prince”
The “Art Newspaper” reported this week that the portrait of Albrecht Dürer's father at the National Gallery in London is authentic, according to a major publication by a German scholar – although it is rejected by the London institution.
Martin Bailey writes, “Christof Metzger, the lead author of ‘Albrecht Dürer: The Complete Paintings,’ argues that the painter’s portrait of his father is indeed by the master, dating from 1497.” However, the paternal portrait has long been downgraded by the National Gallery, where curators regard it as a copy “after” Dürer by another hand and maintain their belief that it was copied from a now-lost original in the second half of the 16th century, decades after Dürer’s death in 1528.
But let’s take a second and back up to provide a bit of an introduction to the original players within this delicious debate.
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg in 1471, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints. He was in contact with the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, and from 1512 was patronized by Emperor Maximilian I.
His father, Albrecht the Elder, although well-traveled and honored as a master goldsmith, lived in poverty all his life. He was born in 1427 in Hungary, and in 1455, he moved to Nuremberg and took up an apprenticeship as a goldsmith under the tutelage of Hieronymus Holper. In 1467, the year his apprenticeship ended, he married Barbara, Holper's 15-year-old daughter. The couple had 18 children, only three of whom survived into adulthood.
It is believed by the young Dürer’s biographers that the father was initially disappointed that his son failed to follow in his profession as a goldsmith, instead setting out to become an artist. Dürer painted two portraits of his father in hopes of impressing him with his talents, one from April of 1490 (the month before he left on his travels as a journeyman painter), and “Portrait at 70” just after his return home to Nuremberg.
The Elder died in 1502, just five years after this second portrait was completed. Following his father's death, the artist wrote an affecting eulogy in which he said that in his life the older man “underwent manifold afflictions, trials and adversities. But he won just praise from all who knew him.”
Now back to our delicate debate. In Metzger’s 800-page catalogue raisonné he states that although the picture’s condition is “hardly optimal,” the face is “preserved so well that the painting’s formerly outstanding quality is still perceivable.” There are currently at least seven known early copies of the original portrait, but Metzger argues that the London painting “stands out for its experienced brushwork and masterful glazing techniques,” and this shows “even the smallest detail of the aging skin.”
Susan Foster, the National Gallery’s deputy and director and curator of German paintings, holds to quite a different opinion. She points out that the paint surface is severely disfigured by drying cracks, particularly in the remains of the faded pink background and the sitter’s coat. According to Foster, this is highly unusual in known works by Dürer, “whose technique generally produced a flawlessly smooth painted surface.”
She goes on to stress stylistic problems with the head of the Elder. The hair, usually one of Dürer’s fortes, “lacks Dürer’s fluency and delicacy” and “the flesh around the eyeball is drawn in minimal fashion.” In the eyes, the depiction of the pupil and iris is “not very coherent,” and the inscription at the top of the painting is “uncharacteristic.” Personally, I have to admit, I have scoured the painting in question, and disappointingly, have yet to find Dürer’s distinctive “AD” monogram.
“The Painter’s Father,” according to the newspaper article, is currently not on display at the National Gallery, due to space constraints and the fact that it is regarded as a copy and has condition problems. But the work had been on show for a decade until the temporary closure of the gallery’s Sainsbury Wing for restoration in 2023. The gallery now has plans to bring the portrait back on view.
T.S. Elliot wrote, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.” All this talk of imitation and ultimate flattery influenced this week’s re-interpretation of the Great British Bake Off’s signature Chocolate Fudge Cake. Dürer’s cocoa palette may have also increased my chocoholic cravings. Thank you, Mr. Hollywood, for allowing me to “follow in your footsteps” and may “some of your ability rub off on me.”
Professor Butter Beard’s GBBO Chocolate Fudge Cake
Inspired by Paul Hollywood
Please use a scale to measure your ingredients!
175 grams of dark chocolate
150 grams of unsalted butter
125 ml hot water
250 grams of all-purpose flour
50 grams of dark cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs, room temperature
125 grams of Greek yoghurt (or sour cream)
50 ml of vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla paste
150 grams of granulated sugar
150 grams of light (I prefer dark) brown sugar
Ganache:
300 grams of dark chocolate
25 grams of unsalted butter
450 ml of heavy cream
Fresh raspberries
1) Prepare two 8” pans (butter and parchment paper) and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a medium bowl, set over a bowl of simmering water, combine the dark chocolate, butter and hot water. Whisk occasionally as it melts. Once smooth, set aside to slightly cool.
3) In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set at the ready.
4) In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the eggs, yoghurt, vegetable oil and vanilla. Mix on medium until fully combined. Add the two sugars and mix until smooth. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until smooth. Add the dry mixture and mix just until smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake 35-40 minutes, just until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Set the cakes on a wire rack for 10 minutes and then tip them out of the pans to cool completely.
5) For the ganache: In a medium bowl, stir together the chocolate and butter. Bring the heavy cream just to a light boil and then pour over the chocolate/butter. Let sit for one minute then lightly whisk until smooth. Let it cool and thicken to a spreadable consistency.
6) Set the first cake on your presentation plate, dome side down. Spread about 6 Tbsp of the ganache over the top. Top with the second cake, flat side up, and spread the remaining ganache over the top and sides.
7) Arrange the raspberries in a circular design on top.
