Albrecht Dürer: Young Hare, 1502 – Porcelain Art Mug

Albrecht Dürer's Young Hare (1502) is among the most celebrated animal studies in the history of Western art — a watercolour and gouache on paper, now held in the Albertina in Vienna, that has lost none of its capacity to surprise. Dürer painted the hare from close observation, rendering each hair with extraordinary patience and technical control: the texture of the fur, the slightly damp appearance of the animal's nose, the precise rendering of the eye with its reflected light, and the delicate quality of the ears. The result is an image of almost uncanny presence — the hare does not feel observed so much as simply there.

The Young Hare belongs to a group of nature studies Dürer made in the first decade of the sixteenth century — works that stand apart from the commissioned religious and portrait paintings for which he was primarily employed, and which represent a private engagement with the natural world that has lost none of its force over five centuries.

The sheet is printed without its drawn border, running to the upper and lower edge of the printed area, so that the paper ground of the original becomes the ground of the mug.

Fine porcelain, 10 oz — 104 mm high, 75 mm across the base. The image runs around the body; handle and rim stay white. Dishwasher and microwave safe.

From the same series: The Rhinoceros, 1515

Albrecht Dürer, Feldhase (Young Hare), 1502, watercolour and gouache on paper. Albertina, Vienna. Public domain.

Selected by Dr. Walther Fuchs for the Tazzarte collection.