The Whore of Babylon, from "The Apocalypse"
Original title: The Whore of Babylon, from "The Apocalypse"
kurzbeschreibung
Albrecht Dürer's 1498 woodcut The Whore of Babylon brings the apocalyptic vision from the Book of Revelation to life. In the foreground, the whore sits enthroned on a many-headed beast, surrounded by men in contemporary dress; behind her, a city burns and a ship rests on the water. This print belongs to Dürer's Apocalypse cycle, produced in Nuremberg.
Description
On the left, a group of men in the fashion of the time, with hats and furs, stands upright or leans slightly to the right. On the right, a large woman sits on a beast with human, lion, and dragon heads, as well as horns; flames burst from their mouths. In her right hand she holds a golden cup, her hair falls long and wild, and she wears a long garment. In the back right, flames encircle a city, smoke rises, and a ship lies on the water nearby. At the top left, a rider figure floats through clouds, while at the top right an angel gestures with outstretched wings.
Context
Dürer created the Apocalypse series in 1498 in Nuremberg, a time of religious unrest and expectations of the end times. The work is based on the Book of Revelation (chapter 17) and was published as a woodcut series with Latin and German text. Dürer was only 27 years old at the time and established himself with this series as one of the leading printmakers of his era. The depiction of the Whore of Babylon reflected contemporary criticism of the church and secular power.
Impact
The arrangement creates a dramatic tension between the enthroned woman and the observing men, intensified by the flames and the many-headed beast. Fine lines and detailed execution give the print an almost painterly quality that draws the viewer into the apocalyptic scene. The mixture of realism and symbolism makes the image impressive to this day.
Technique
The sheet measures 39.5 x 28.6 cm, a format typical of large single-leaf woodcuts of the period. Within these dimensions the densely packed scene of the whore on the multi-headed beast, the burning city, and the hovering figures unfolds almost edge to edge, so that the composition fills the paper with little empty space.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)