Het Bourgondische huwelijk: Maximiliaan trouwt met Maria van Bourgondië 1515

Editor: Here we have "The Burgundian Wedding: Maximilian Marries Mary of Burgundy," a print made around 1515, attributed to Albrecht Durer. It’s incredibly detailed, this stark monochrome image feels very formal. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Ah, a feast for the eyes, isn’t it? Or perhaps a strategic alliance disguised as eye candy! Dürer, or rather his workshop, captures a pivotal moment. Think of it as a PR stunt, sealing a deal between empires. Maximilian, all dazzling in armor, gets the fertile lands of Burgundy via Mary. The symbols and heraldry, the geometric composition - it's less about love, more about land! Don't you feel that subtle message being delivered by those tiny lines? Editor: It's so different from how weddings are presented nowadays...so overtly political. I see how everything looks more…constructed than spontaneous. The setting is rigid; each figure feels posed. Curator: Precisely! What strikes me is Dürer's commitment to minute detail. Each pattern seems to be declaring power and lineage, a sort of "we were here first" shout into the ages. How does the text above affect your reading of the image? Editor: Oh, interesting! Now that I pay more attention to the composition as a whole I would say that the artist emphasizes less love, more like propaganda to show strength, heritage and political stability. And yes, that’s certainly different than most images of contemporary weddings. Thank you, I think I got it. Curator: It is all those things together – isn't it lovely to unpick history through art? It’s about deciphering a coded message across centuries, and perhaps a reminder that even love, especially among royals, is often entwined with strategy. Editor: Thank you! It certainly gives a lot of context to what would otherwise be another historic engraving for me.