Melencolia I (1514, Met-Objekt 247)
Original title: Melencolia I
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike related depictions of melancholy, Albrecht Dürer's engraving Melencolia I from 1514 puts a winged woman at its heart, understood as the embodiment of melancholy. She sits in thought among tools, a dog, and a sleeping putto, surrounded by further symbols.
Description
The main figure has settled onto a chair, her head propped on her hand; leaves adorn her head, and mighty wings rise up. Heavy folds run through her gown, her gaze drifts into emptiness. A dog rests on the ground beside her, while before her lie scattered a book, a hammer, shears, and a compass. A scale, a clock, and an angel appear in the background, and above everything hovers another angel. Fine gray tones define the monochrome image, which comes alive through precise hatching and contrasts of light and shadow.
Context
Made in Nuremberg in 1514, Dürer's engraving falls into a phase in which he engaged deeply with mathematics and philosophy. It belongs to the three master engravings, together with Knight, Death and the Devil and Saint Jerome in His Study. In the Renaissance, melancholy was considered the temperament of the artist and thinker—an idea that Dürer takes up here.
Impact
The crowded arrangement and rich symbolism evoke a quiet yet insistent mood. The figure appears both sublime and burdensome, which moves the viewer to ponder art and knowledge.
Technique
The engraved copper plate allows Dürer to build the allegorical scene entirely through line, with fine hatching and cross-hatching creating nuanced tonal values. This black-and-white technique sharpens the contrast between the brooding figure and her symbolic attributes, giving the composition its dense, contemplative atmosphere.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)