Melencolia I (1514, Met-Objekt 232)
Original title: Melencolia I
kurzbeschreibung
Albrecht Dürer's 1514 engraving 'Melencolia I' portrays melancholy as a winged woman. She sits in thought among tools of geometry and symbols of transience. This print is one of Dürer's most celebrated master engravings.
Description
A woman in a long robe, her head resting on her hand, dominates the center. Around her lie a dog on a globe, a book, a hammer, a writing pad, a quill, a compass, and scales. Farther back appear a clock, a globe, a cup, an angel, and a figure in a window. Above the window one reads 'MELENCOLIA I'. The arrangement is balanced, and the light is subdued.
Context
Dürer made this engraving in 1514 in Nuremberg, during a period of intense engagement with humanist thought. It belongs to the group of master engravings, along with 'Knight, Death and the Devil' and 'Saint Jerome in His Study'. The winged woman as an emblem of melancholy reflects the theory of temperaments of the time.
Impact
The figure's calm, collected posture evokes a pensive mood. Numerous symbols invite looking and interpretation without forcing a single meaning. The precise execution and restrained light give the sheet an arresting quality.
Technique
For this engraving, the lines were incised into a copper plate. Dürer used fine, parallel hatching to model shadow and surface. Because the medium is monochrome, the entire melancholic mood is carried by line alone—its varying density and direction build depth, texture, and a subdued tonal range without any color.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)