The Whore of Babylon, from The Apocalypse
1496–98
Medium
Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
38.6 × 28 cm (15 1/4 × 11 1/16 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
4137
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Albrecht Dürer’s illustrations of the Apocalypse display an unprecedented scale and complexity. In this sheet, the Whore of Babylon, one of the visions foretold in the biblical book of Revelation, is perched on a seven-headed scarlet beast with 10 horns, holding aloft a chalice full of the “abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” She appears in contemporary Italian dress, perhaps a reference to the burning city in the distance, which is commonly interpreted as Rome, whose seven hills ma...
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 ...