This depiction of Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg is one of the finest engraved portraits Dürer created. The print has been praised for its delicacy and simple but rich representation of the cardinal, who is seated before a cloth wall hanging into which Dürer has woven his signature monogram. Especially subtle yet striking are the reflections of windowpanes in the cardinal's eyes.
The upper inscription lists the cardinal's official titles. The words at the bottom read, "Thus were his eyes, his cheeks, his features, at the age of twenty-nine. 1519."