Stamboom van Maximiliaan (onderste deel) 1515

This is the lower section of the ‘Genealogical Tree of Maximilian I’, a vast print made by Albrecht Dürer, commissioned by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I to glorify his lineage and legitimize his power. As part of the Northern Renaissance, Dürer was profoundly aware of his position as a male artist in a patriarchal society, and this section of the print provides an interesting insight. Here we can see a collection of male figures connected by an elaborate, intertwining tree, each identified with their respective heraldic shields. At the base of the tree, three female figures - Francia, Ispania and Secunda - hold up the trunk, acting as the foundation for the male lineage. The contrast between the detailed depictions of the men and the allegorical, almost stereotypical portrayal of the women provokes reflection on how power is constructed along gendered lines. It makes you wonder, what narratives might emerge if the foundations were represented differently?