On the wall below the window ledge the artist painted an inscription in white pigment, written in Gothic lettering: “1498. Das malt Ich nach meiner gestalt. Ich war sex und zwanzig jor alt. Albrecht Dürer”, which means “1498. I painted this after my image. I was twenty-six. Albrecht Dürer”.

Beneath this inscription is Dürer’s monogram, a capital A enclosing the D of his surname. The artist used these two letters to construct a visual symbol that identifies his work.