A rare Albrecht Dürer test print has finally returned to Kassel, Germany, after spending 143 years in Berlin following what was supposed to be a temporary loan. The artwork, a proof of "Hercules at the Crossroads" (circa 1498), also known as "Jealousy," was borrowed by Berlin's Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) in 1882 and somehow forgotten by both institutions until recently.
The story begins in 1882 when Friedrich Lippmann, a Dürer specialist at Berlin's Kupferstichkabinett, expressed interest in studying the rare test print housed at Wilhelmshöhe Palace in Kassel. The artwork was duly loaned to Berlin, with the institution's inventory book meticulously noting "Property of the Royal Library at Wilhelmshöhe, temporarily loaned by the same." However, both parties apparently lost track of this arrangement over the subsequent decades.
The forgotten loan only came to light in 2023 during preparations for a Berlin exhibition aptly titled "Dürer for Berlin." Research revealed that Kassel had actually wanted their artwork back around 140 years ago, but this request had somehow fallen through the cracks of institutional memory. The discovery prompted immediate action to rectify the situation and return the valuable print to its rightful home.
The artwork itself remains a subject of scholarly debate among art historians. While traditionally interpreted as depicting Hercules choosing between virtue and vice, or good and evil, alternative theories suggest a more complex narrative. Some scholars propose that the figure with a bird on his head represents a cuckolded husband attempting to rescue his beautiful, naked wife from a lustful satyr on the left side of the image, with the assistance of personified virtue and wielding a club.
The commentary writer humorously notes that the feathered headdress of the muscular figure bears a resemblance to the brave Gauls created by illustrator Uderzo in the famous Asterix comics. Given the peculiar history of this particular print's extended "loan," the author playfully suggests a new title: "Loanix" (a play on the Asterix character names ending in "-ix").
The returned masterpiece is now housed at Hessen Kassel Heritage, specifically at Wilhelmshöhe Palace where it originally belonged. To celebrate the homecoming of this significant artwork, a dedicated Dürer exhibition is planned to open on October 8, 2026, giving the public an opportunity to view this long-lost treasure.
The incident highlights broader cultural tensions that have historically existed between different regions of Germany, with the article noting that while Hessians south of 1866 (excluding Frankfurt) may not have minded becoming Prussian, people from regions further south have maintained a healthy skepticism toward Prussian cultural practices, sometimes characterized as overreaching in politics, economics, and culture. The 143-year delay in returning a borrowed artwork, while extreme, serves as an amusing example of institutional oversight that transcends regional politics.
