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His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Renaissance in Northern Europe ever since.
== Journey to the Netherlands (1520-1521) ==
Following Maximilian's death, Dürer fell into a crisis, aware that the era of his patron had come to an end, but also affected by the writings of [[Martin Luther]]. In July 1520 Dürer made his fourth and last major journey. He sought to renew the Imperial pension Maximilian had given him to secure the patronage of the new emperor, [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]], who was to be crowned at [[Aix-la-Chapelle]]. Dürer journeyed with his wife and her maid via the [[Rhine]] to [[Cologne]] and then to [[Antwerp]], where he was well-received and produced numerous drawings in [[silverpoint]], chalk and charcoal. In addition to going to the coronation, he made excursions to [[Cologne]] (where he admired the painting of [[Stefan Lochner]]), [[Nijmegen]], [['s-Hertogenbosch]], [[Bruges]] (where he saw [[Michelangelo]]'s [[Madonna of Bruges]]), [[Ghent]] (where he admired [[Jan van Eyck|van Eyck]]'s altarpiece) and [[Zeeland]].
Dürer took a large stock of prints with him and wrote in his diary to whom he gave, exchanged or sold them, and for how much. This provides rare information of the monetary value placed on [[old master print|prints]] at this time. Unlike paintings, their sale was very rarely documented.<ref>Landau & Parshall:350-54 and ''passim''</ref> While providing valuable documentary evidence, Dürer's Netherlandish diary also reveals that the trip was not a profitable one. For example, Dürer offered his last portrait of Maximilian to his daughter, [[Margaret of Habsburg (1480-1530)|Margaret of Austria]], but eventually traded the picture for some white cloth after Margaret disliked the portrait and declined to accept it. During this trip he also met [[Conrad Meit]], [[Bernard van Orley]], [[Jean Prevost]], [[Gerard Horenbout]], [[Jean Mone]], [[Joachim Patinir]] & [[Tommaso Vincidor]], though he did not, it seems, meet [[Quentin Matsys]].<ref>Panofsky:209</ref>
At the request of [[Christian II of Denmark]] Dürer went to [[Brussels]] to make the King's portrait. There he saw "the things which have been sent to the king from the golden land" — the [[Aztec]] treasure that [[Hernán Cortés]] had sent home to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V following the fall of [[Mexico]]. Dürer wrote that this treasure "was much more beautiful to me than miracles. These things are so precious that they have been valued at 100,000 florins".<ref name="Bartrum"/> Dürer also appears to have been collecting for his own [[cabinet of curiosities]], and he sent back to Nuremberg various animal horns, a piece of [[coral]], some large fish fins, and a wooden weapon from the [[East Indies]].
Having secured his pension, Dürer finally returned home in July 1521, having caught an undetermined illness—perhaps [[malaria]]<ref>Panofsky:</ref> —which afflicted him for the rest of his life, and greatly reduced his rate of work.<ref name="Bartrum"/>
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== Final years in Nuremberg (1521-28) ==
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