Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I mounted a public relations campaign aimed at the nobles and officials within his empire. He branded himself the "Wise Knight," a hero for his own times sprung from a heroic invented ancestry that included Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and even Hercules. The truth was impressive enought: Maximilian spoke seven languages, had a strong military record, and pursued diverse interests, from veterinary surgery to archaeology.
Maximilian was chronically short on money, so a stone monument honoring his acheivements was a challenge. A printed paper arch was cheaper and replicable. But not just any print would do. His team imagined woodcuts so big they required multiple sheets, and so complex they came with directions for assembly. What resulted is the so-called "Triumph of Maximilian I," a series of three gigantic prints: the Triumphal Arch, the Triumphal Procession, and The Large Triumphal Chariot. So large, they could be considered paper tapestries.
In the early 1500s, the creation and distribution of prints was tightly regulated. If you were lucky enough to receive a copy of the Arch, Triumph, or Chariot, you were expected to display it—usually in some prominent place where it could be seen by as many people as possible. As a result, they were often exposed to the elements, and few originals of these massive prints have survived.
Maximilian's decision to go big was not without precedent. Other printmakers had experimented with large scale and a market for mural-sized maps had emerged as well. Jacopo de Barbari's monumental, bird's eye view of Venice—created in 1500 to promote the thriving seaport—could not have escaped the Emperor's notice. In fact, the View's publisher, Anton Kolb, was based in Nuremberg, Germany, and entered Maximilian's service that year.