Four Avenging Angels, from the Apocalypse series
1497–98
Medium
Woodcut
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Felix M. Warburg, 1940
Accession Number
40.139.6(9)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer, a master of the Northern Renaissance, created *Four Avenging Angels* as part of his groundbreaking *Apocalypse* series in 1497–98. This woodcut depicts dramatic biblical imagery from the Book of Revelation, fierce angels wielding swords amid swirling chaos, animals, and apocalyptic motifs. Produced on the cusp of the 16th century, the series tapped into widespread millennial anxieties about the end times, making it an instant sensation and cementing Dürer's fame Europe. Dürer's genius shines in his woodcut technique, where he achieved engraving-like precision on woodblocks—unp...
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...