Emperor Maximilian I

Lucas van Leyden created this portrait to commemorate Emperor Maximilian's death in 1519. To get this print on the market across the Holy Roman Empire while news of the emperor's death was still fresh, the artist used the more expedient method of etching for the background, costume, and hands but reserved the more refined technique of engraving to render an accurate likeness of Maximilian's face. His inventive solution made him the first artist in the North to combine etching and engraving in the same print.