HOFFMANN, Hans
(b. 1545/50, Nürnberg, d. 1591/92, Prague)

Hare

1528
Watercolour and gouache on parchment, 32,5 x 25,6 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

One of the best-known imitators of Dürer's works, in particular of his animal studies, was the Nuremberg artist Hans Hoffmann. From 1582 he was the court painter of Emperor Rudolph II, a great admirer and collector of Albrecht Dürer's work. The depiction of a hare from above, based on a lost original, bears Dürer's signature. But its date, the year of Dürer's death, suggests that this sheet is not authentic. The formulaic brushstrokes in the hare's fur and the dotted strokes on its ears are characteristic of Hofmann's method of painting.