Melencolia I

About this artwork

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 in complexity. At the center, the melancholic figure gazes pensively, surrounded by tools like scales, an hourglass, a polyhedron, and a magic square, evoking the Renaissance fascination with mathematics and the human intellect. A sleeping dog at her feet symbolizes loyalty or sloth, while a putto scribbles nearby, hinting at stalled inspiration. This enigmatic composition explores the "melancholy of genius," a concept linking profound creativity to sorrow, influenced by humanist ideas and astrology. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, *Melencolia I* remains one of Dürer's "Master Engravings," inspiring centuries of interpretation—from psychological insight to alchemical mystery. It's a timeless invitation for visitors to ponder the artist's inner world.