DÜRER Albrecht (1471 - 1528) - "Portrait of Philippe Mélanchton". 1526. Original burin. Proof on laid paper. Signed with the monogram and date in the tablet. Ref: Bartsch, no. 105. Hollstein, no. 104. Meder, no. 104. Small margins. In 1525, Melanchthon worked in Nuremberg to found a new secular school on behalf of the city council. During his stay in the city, he stayed with Willibald Pirckheimer, who was Dürer's closest friend, and the two undoubtedly met either through the host or through other members of the city's humanist circle. A portrait of Melanchthon was probably painted around this time and formed the basis of this engraving, created in 1526. 17.3 x 12.8 cm on copperplate. 18.7 x 14.8 cm for the sheet. A/B condition (traces of old mountings on verso, scattered light foxing and a very short tear in the right margin).