Portrait of Dürer's Father at 70 is an oil-on-
linden-panel painting attributed to the German painter and printmaker
Albrecht Dürer. Although a master
goldsmith and well travelled, Albrecht Dürer the Elder, the painter's father, lived in poverty all his life. With his much younger wife, he fathered 17 children, of whom only two reached adulthood. He was supportive of his son's precocious talent and sent him to an apprenticeship with
Michael Wolgemut, one of the most highly regarded painters in
Nuremberg at the time. This portrait was painted in 1497, on his son's return, but whether it is the original work, or one of several copies done in the artist's workshop, is unclear. The painting currently hangs at the
National Gallery, London.
Painting credit: Albrecht Dürer (attributed)