Melencolia I (1514, Met-Objekt 149)
Original title: Melencolia I
kurzbeschreibung
Albrecht Dürer's engraving Melencolia I from 1514 presents a winged female figure lost in thought, surrounded by measuring tools and enigmatic signs. This print ranks among the most famous and most frequently interpreted works in art history.
Description
In the foreground sits the winged woman, her head resting on her left hand; she wears a wreath of leaves in her hair, and her body is wrapped in a long robe. A compass and a ruler lie on her lap. Beside her, perched on a cube, a small angel holds something in its hand. To the left in the foreground, a sleeping, hedgehog-like animal lies next to a sphere. The layout is densely packed with instruments and a magic square.
Context
The engraving was made in 1514 in Nuremberg, a stronghold of humanism. During this period, Dürer was deeply engaged with geometry and proportions. The title refers to the medieval theory of temperaments, in which melancholy was considered the temperament of the artist and thinker. The print is often understood as Dürer's reflection on the artist's position between craft and scholarship.
Impact
The figure appears absorbed and heavy; her posture creates a quiet, oppressive mood. The precise engraving and the layered symbolism evoke a puzzling tension that invites rumination. The image conveys a timeless seriousness that goes beyond mere representation.
Technique
For this engraving, Dürer incised the lines into a copper plate with a burin. Fine, parallel hatching creates graduated tonal values and a sculptural modeling of forms, while the extremely precise linework demonstrates his mastery in translating complex motifs into print.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)