When Albrecht Dürer’s Triumphal Arch was produced between 1515 through 1517 it was one of the largest prints ever produced. The oversized woodblock print glorifying the military achievements of Maximilian I was created with 195 blocks and spanned more than 36 sheets. Combined it was 140.5 inches wide and 116 inches tall. It was one of Dürer’s most ambitious projects and still remains one of the largest woodblocks.
This video from The British Museum, details the painstaking work that went into restring and preserving this monumental work. They also produced some wonderful blog posts on the process it took to restore the work and what will go into eventually reassembling it again. It’s definitely worth the read.
700 copies of the first addition were made. The original print, when complete, was meant to be hand colored. While the version at the British Museum is uncolored it’s an imposing work none the less.