Albrecht Altdorfer, The Triumphal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I

Emperor Maximilian I of Austria (1459-1519) took art very seriously. He retained a battalion of painters, sculptors, musicians, and so on to glorify his court and project his image to the world. As with many other Renaissance sovereigns, he invested particular care in processions and other public rituals. Above is a famous portrait of the emperor by Albrecht Dürer.

One out growth of his obsessions was a vast work by Albrecht Aldorfer, The Triumpal Procession of Emperor Maximilian I (1512-1515). This preserved the emperor's self-presentation for posterity, showing the world how he showed himself on a grand occasion. Above is the coach that carried the emperor and his immediate family.

The emperor's noble ancestors. There were once 109 such sheets in the work, of which about 60 survive.

The German princes.

The War with Venice. Such images were actually produced to be carried in processions, but only a few survive.

The Baggage Train. This work, in gouache on parchment, was later rendered as woodcuts for wider distribution. It is too fragile to be on permanent display, but it is going to be shown for much of this year as part of a major exhibit at the Albertina in Vienna.

As a bonus, the emperor's battle armor, made at Augsburg by Lorenz Helmschmied around 1485.