Albrecht Dürer

Dürer was widely regarded as the greatest German scholar of the Renaissance and man of exceptional learning. He immersed himself not only in art, but also in theology and in the "new learning" of humanism. He was a great admirer of his fellow humanist, Erasmus, who upon receiving this portrait remarked that it did not look at all like him. This is not surprising, as the engraving was based solely on a sketch Dürer had made six years earlier. Tellingly, part of the Greek inscription says of Erasmus, "His writings will present a better picture."