An Irishman's Diary
IN 1521, the German artist Albrecht Dürer – then in Antwerp – made a picture of a group of Irish gallowglasses and peasants, which has since been much reproduced in history books.
It’s clear that the “Leonardo of the North”, as Dürer was known, found his subjects visually exotic. But being something of a scientist as well as artist, like Leonardo, he felt it necessary to assure viewers of his depiction’s authenticity.