The Money Devil
second half of the 16th century
Medium
Woodcut in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 32.6 × 47.2 cm (12 7/8 × 18 5/8 in.)
Classification
prints and drawing
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
259721
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
An affordable popular print aimed at a broad audience, this woodcut is a humorous but stinging satire of humanity’s unbridled lust for wealth. At the center a monstrous creature stands on top of a chest of gold coins, holding money-filled purses and a spiked iron poker. People from different ranks of society—popes, cardinals, bishops, and monks on the left; emperors, kings, noblemen, and soldiers on the right—point their weapons at the money devil. The visual joke derives from a pun in the Fren...