Portrait of Marx Ulstat and the beautiful princess in Antwerp 1520

Albrecht Durer drew this double portrait of Marx Ulstat and an unnamed woman, titled ‘the beautiful princess in Antwerp’, in pen and ink, during his travels through the low countries. Durer was one of the first Northern European artists to achieve celebrity status, and his trips to cities like Antwerp were important both for his artistic development and his social standing. His exquisite drawings and prints were highly sought after by collectors, so his travels functioned as opportunities to meet patrons and sell artworks. Durer was very conscious of his public image, so the production and distribution of his work was crucial for his reputation. To understand the identities of the sitters, art historians consult sources, such as city records, parish registers, and family genealogies to reconstruct the social world in which Durer operated. Without this, we risk viewing his work as existing outside of social context.