Ernst Jonas Bencard

Melchior Lorck (1526/27-1583?) is an extraordinary artist with an unusual career. Born in Flensburg on the border between Denmark and Germany, he grew up far from the artistic centers of his time. Supported by a travelling fund from the Danish king, he set out on an itinerary that would continue much longer and further than planned, leading him through Germany and Italy all the way to the Ottoman Empire, to Constantinople. Here, he laid the foundations of a life’s work that stands out to this day. _x000D_ This volume concludes the total survey of Lorck’s life and work, the remainder of which was published in 2009 in four volumes. The first presents Lorck's biography and all the known documents about him. The next three volumes catalogue his two most well-known outputs: The so-called “Turkish Publication” (vol. 2 & 3) and the Prospect of Constantinople (vol. 4). The present volume 5 surveys the rest of Lorck's manifold production – from his earliest to latest works, from Lutheran propaganda to projects for costume books, from designs for imperial entries to portraits of sultans and scholars, from emblematic images to cartography. The emerging image is as rich as it is fascinating.

Melchior Lorcks værker fascinerer. De har en særlig forførende karakter ikke ulig nutidens reklamer. Vi betages af deres gennemførte kompositioner, deres klarhed, enkelhed og håndværksmæssige niveau – deres billedkraft. Melchior Lorck levede fra 1526/27 til engang efter 1583 og er i dag relativt ukendt. Hvem var han? Og hvad ville hans værker? Lorck var frem for alt grafiker og ville udgive store, illustrerede bogværker. Ingen af dem blev dog færdige, og derfor kender vi kun til en begrænset del af hans ambitiøse, kunstneriske projekt. Dets fulde omfang og endelige udtryk kan vi kun forestille os. Trods dette står et fascinerende livsværk tilbage. Forskningen i Lorcks værker har været begrænset i forhold til, hvor internationalt banebrydende en kunstner han var. Denne bogs syv artikler præsenterer ny forskning, der belyser nye aspekter af Lorcks værk og foreslår nye forståelser og tolkninger af det.