Man and Satyr Fighting over a Nymph

During the Renaissance, rich art lovers avidly collected plaquettes, small bronze relief sculptures. Small prints, such as this, may be thought of as paper substitutes, highly portable and affordable to much wider audiences. Whether in paper or bronze, such objects probably sparked conversation among friends and continue to serve as a reminder that not all Renaissance conversation was high minded. Albrecht Altdorfer was among the leading artists of south Germany, and he also played a central role in the government of his hometown, Regensburg.