In this episode of Platemark, Ann talks with Susan Dackerman, a curator and art historian specializing in Northern European print culture. They discuss Susan's recent book, Dürer's Knots: Early European Print and the Islamic East, which looks at the artist's relationship to the Islamic world, revealing groundbreaking insights about the intersection of early modern printmaking and contemporary history. 

Susan's book covers three of Dürer's prints or print series. The first section looks at The Sea Monster (Das Meerwunder), c. 1498, and postulates that it chronicles the return to Venice of Caterina Cornado following her forced abdication as the last queen of Cyprus in 1489. Susan pieces together the narrative, which often claims to be about the abduction of a woman on the fins of Neptune.

The second section looks at a series of six woodcuts Dürer made to mimic the designs of silver inlay found in Mamluk brass bowls. Susan has an intriguing theory about the Knots's connection to a set of engravings by none other than Leonardo da Vinci.

The final section looks at the iron etching Landscape with a Cannon, 1518, and answers the question why make this image as an etching rather than an engraving.

The book challenges traditional narratives and recasts Dürer's prints that reference the Islamic East as much more nuanced and reflective of contemporaneous history. Susan's book is clear, concise, and thoughtful, and well worth the read.

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Susan Dackerman. Dürer’s Knots: Early European Print and the Islamic East. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2024. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691250441/durers-knots?srsltid=AfmBOoo2o2yjJJeOlkdsXIURAOdx595jWpEKkUllE8jpzXRidPeYLEG8

Susan Dackerman. The Painted Print: The Revelation of Color. University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2002. https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/0-271-02234-5.html

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). Sea Monster (Das Meerwunder), c. 1498. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed to platemark): 24.7 x 18.8 cm. (9 3/4 x 7 3/8 in.). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). The First Knot (with a heart-shaped shield), probably 1506/1507. Woodcut. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). The Third Knot (with a black circle on a white medallion), probably 1506/1507. Woodcut. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). The Sixth Knot (combining seven small systems of knots with black centers), probably 1506/1507. Woodcut. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Attributed to Leonardo da Vinci (Italian 1452–1519). The Fifth Knot (Interlaced Roundel with Seven Six-pointed Stars), c. 1498. Engraving. Plate: 10 3/8 × 7 13/16 in. (26.4 × 19.8 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528). Landscape with the Cannon, 1518. Etching (iron). Sheet (trimmed to image): 21.9 × 32.2 cm. (8 5/8 × 12 11/16 in.). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.