Heinrich Aldegrever Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Heinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf (c. 1502-1560) was a German painter, goldsmith and engraver.
His most famous works are the religious or mythological engravings.
Little is known about Aldegrever's background. Read the full biography

Heinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf (c. 1502-1560) was a German painter, goldsmith and engraver.
His most famous works are the religious or mythological engravings.
Little is known about Aldegrever's background. He probably began his career in a small goldsmith's shop. Around 1525 he moved to Soest, where a year later he painted the wings and predella of the Mary altar for the church of St. Peter. His first engravings appeared in 1527. They were signed with an "AG" monogram, which closely resembled that of Albrecht Dürer, from whom he often drew inspiration. Aldegrever's approximately 290 engravings and woodcuts are delicate and minutely detailed and approximately a third of these are ornamental in nature.
Aldegrever, a supporter of the Reformation, also painted portraits of Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon. In the Power of Death cycle, created under the visible influence of Hans Holbein, he criticizes the vices of the Catholic Church.
During his career, Aldegrever also turned his attention to popular themes: dances, village celebrations. A non-minority part of his work consists of prints of mythological subjects, including the exploits of Hercules.
Only two paintings have been attributed to him: the wings and predella of the Mary altar (circa 1525) in the Wiesenkirche church in Soest and a portrait of Count Phillip von Waldeck (1837) in Aroldsen Castle.