Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-07-01
ALBERT DURER.
Probable Origin OF the Great Artists
EpftaDh.

whom 1 loved very dearly and who
loved me well sat here with me, anC
we talked of this subject. We took
down various books that evening anG
talked with old philosophers about it
] Observation-Disclosures he, my friend, il
dead now---I remember so well all the
company who joined in the talk that
night, he and alone living men, others
talking in the words in which they live
for eternity; because all minds to which
their words have reached received Their
impress and retain it through the un-
ending ages.
Among others who talked with us
was Albert Durer, mightiest of all art
lists, ancient or modern, in the influences
he excrted and cxerts now on all races
of civilized mankind. We lookedu at his
portrait of Uric Vanbuler, hanging near
his portrait of the Emperor Macmillan,
two of the grandest prints from wood
ever executed. One by another we
took down from the shelves his pub
lished books and spelled out their queer
old dialectic sentences. Then we came
to his tomb; and here we called that fat
| old falsiier Billbald Pirkheimer, to say
what he knew about Albert Durer's own
ideas of fame. For Pirkheimer lives in
memory of men by little reason except
that he tackled his own name on that of
Durer. Our conversation that evening
continued for long time about the
epitaph on Durcr's tomb, known to
everyone, especially the one word
Emigravit The word ;npy assures
us that the art SITS t o,gh. o. immor-
tally was not in eng X own to flesh
| y eyes and short-livc minds of men
who die and no long r know anything.
He doubtless look 10 thc country in
which all pious art'st' VIII receive from
the generations of Their race thanks for
every pure thought, every elevating
and instructlng work, every holy hour
of love or labor or repose, they have
given to all who come heie after them,
and 90 where they are to see and know
and thank them.
"Who put that eloquent word on
Durer's tomb? The books say Pirk-
hoimcr did it. We agreed that he did
not. He was ponderous pedant, and
in all his writings put together there is
not as much force and simplicity as in
that one word. He wrote pages OF
Latin cpitaphs of Durer. If he claimed
that lie wrote this | would not believe
him for he lied TO a stranger about
Durcr's wife, when Durer was dead,
and of course would lie about any
thing. Besides, Agnes buried Albert
in her own fathers tomb, and would
have nothing to do with Prkhemcr.
No, it was someone who loved the
great artist, who knew his own soul
right well. Did Uric Narnbuler, whom
Durer loved rs his lone only friend, "
survive him? If so, it was perhaps he.
But no, it was Agnes herself, instructed
by Albert. Here is the clew.
You see | am writing out the way
my friend and discussed the subject in
tie library that night; asking help
from many dead men whose books
were in our hands to answer
This is the clcw. All his life long
Uurer carried in his heart the memory
Of his boyhood and youth, and the de,
voted love of his pious old father and
mother. His father died in 1902. A
fragment of Albert manuscript records
the circumstance thus: The old nurse
helped him to rise and put the close cay
over his head again. 1t had become
very wet by heavy perspiration. He
asked for a drink. She gave him Rhine
wine. He tasted it and wanted to lie
down again. He thanked her for help,
ing him, but as soon rs he lay back or
the pillow the last struggle commenced
Then the old woman trimmed the
lamp, and set herself to read aloud St
Demands song of death. But she only
got as far as the third verse, and, be
hold, his soul had gone. God be goot
to him. Amen"
What was st. Demands song to which
Durer here refers? song which doubt
less all his life had been dear to him il
memory of that scene. st. Bernart
sang to his own generation and to man,
since; to Albert Durer the younger, liv
ing and dying-sings to us now, and w
with him. Let us ask the saint of Clair
.vaux what of his it was that the oil,
nurse read aloud, when Durer's fathe
was going away on his journey. Alas
if the saint knew that scene he can no
tell us, and we must conjecture. S
we turned the pages, and read one an,
another of his hymns until we cam
to the one which is O. Prayer to Chris
On the Cross" and there we thought W
found it.
Many and many tine. waking o
dreaming, now in tn splendots of tn
court. now in the Nigls o. IN Away
deeply-thoughtful life, the great arts
had recalled that night. the dim lamp
. the old room, the dear 81 man passin
heavenward, and aiw VS., with tn
memory, the voice of the nurse sount
ing the words on which the soul of h
father went away. Went away; carr,
ing with him all that was OF any valu
in his possessions, all that had helpe
to purify and elevate his soul and b
come thus part of it to be borne alway
in and with it-and nothing we eve
i have in this world is worth anything e;
d cept for that. r--...... ~.
4 So we agreed on the probable orig
e of Durer's epitaph. He and Agnes u
y derstood one another well; and son
: loving friend helped her-I think she WI
g wise enough to do it alone-to put {
n the tomb: What was mortal of Able
d Dmer is laid away in the tomb. /
d emigrated on the 9th of April, 1928. ="
% Since that night, when we talked til
D. all over here, my friend has also gon
| At - a..