Melchior Lorck

Melchior Lorck (born in Flensburg in 1526 or 1527, died c. 1583) was the first Danish artist to achieve international renown. Trained in the tradition of the German Kleinmeister, Lorck is considered one of the most original artists of sixteenth-century Europe, with a style and choice of motifs that are both austere and unique.

Lorck was an itinerant Renaissance master, always on the lookout for new commissions, who never stayed long in any one place. He worked in diverse locations, such as Constantinople/Istanbul, Antwerp, Hamburg, Vienna, Rome and Copenhagen. Cosmopolitan in outlook and career, Lorck was in contact with many of the leading intellectuals and artists of his time. From 1555 to 1559, he served as a member of the Holy Roman Emperor’s embassy to the court of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent in Constantinople. He returned with a substantial collection of sketches of Turkish, Byzantine and Roman architecture, alongside portraits and life studies of Turks from all walks of life. This material would form the basis of much of his later work.

The first four volumes of this publication chronicling the life and work of Lorck were released in 2009. Volume 1 contains his biography and all known primary sources about him. Volumes 2 and 3 present his supposed magnum opus, the so-called Turkish Publication, which was published in 1626, more than thirty years after his death. Volume 4 focusses on another of his most renowned works: the twelvemetre-long Constantinople Prospect.

This fifth volume concludes the comprehensive survey of Lorck’s work and covers everything beyond these two major works, from his earliest to his latest output, including Lutheran propaganda, projects for costume books, designs for imperial processions, portraits of sultans and scholars, emblematic images and cartography. The emerging image is as rich as it is fascinating.