14 November 2025 to 8 March 2026
Presentation of original prints and coins at the Albrecht Dürer House
Did you know? Albrecht Dürer was a self-made millionaire!
This time the "Original Dürer!" series focuses on money. Using original prints by Dürer and coins from his time, it examines how much money Dürer sold his prints for. He developed a pricing system for the free market based on the size of the prints. It aimed for high sales and was affordable for many people. For price comparison, product examples from Dürer's time are given to illustrate the values clearly. For example, a small Dürer print cost about as much as half a roast chicken, two medium-sized prints would buy Dürer a belt, and for the price of a large-format print he acquired, for instance, two small books or a wooden bowl and plate. Dürer sold his books with woodcut series, such as the "Life of the Virgin" Tor the "Great Passion", for a quarter gulden per book. For the same amount of money, the artist bought a bag, for example, or a pair of shoes on another occasion, and paid this sum several times for visits to the doctor. He received significantly higher sums from high-ranking clients and from private direct sales. In 1519, Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg paid 200 gulden for his small-format portrait in engraving, plus 13 metres of damask for the printing plate and 200 copies of the print. This was roughly four times the average annual income of a simple craftsman.
With loans from Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nuremberg.
Curator-guided tours with the museum director:
Friday, 9 and 23 January 2026, 4 p.m. to 4.45 p.m.
Cost of the tour: Adults: 5 EUR
Children (aged 4 to 18): 2 EUR
(plus admission fee)
- Cost:
- Apart from the museum admission, no further costs are incurred.