Melencolia I
1514
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Plate: 9 7/16 × 7 5/16 in. (24 × 18.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1943
Accession Number
43.106.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer's *Melencolia I* (1514) is a masterpiece of Northern Renaissance printmaking, showcasing the German artist's unparalleled skill as an engraver. Created on a copper plate measuring 9 7/16 × 7 5/16 inches, this work captures a moment of profound contemplation through a winged female figure seated amid symbols of geometry, science, and creativity. Dürer, a pioneer who elevated engraving from reproductive tool to high art, used intricate line work—over 500 individually incised strokes—to achieve remarkable depth, texture, and tonal subtlety, making affordable prints rival paintings ...
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 ...