Edition of 1511, Latin text

The Four Horsemen, 1498 (1511 edition)

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Albrecht Dürer achieved such brilliance in the art of woodcut that his prints in this medium approach the precision of engraving. With his fifteen astoundingly detailed Apocalypse woodcuts, he redefined what was possible in the medium. The series interprets the apostle John's Book of Revelation (6:1-8), a story that, amid the millennial fears prevalent in the 1490s, was very much on people's minds. Spreading calamity everywhere, the Four Horsemen charge relentlessly toward the right, stacked in the shape of an arrow: the king with his bow (War), the slaughterer with his sword (Discord), the well-fed man with his scales (Famine), and the wide-eyed figure with his pitchfork (Death).

Details
Title
The Four Horsemen
Artist Life
1471–1528
Role
Artist
Accession Number
P.206
Provenance
Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen, Berlin (L.1606) duplicate (L.2398); William M. Ladd, Portland, Ore., sold to Jones; Herschel V. Jones, Minneapolis; given to MIA, 1916.
Catalogue Raisonne
Bartsch 64; Meder 167; Hollstein 167
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Edition of 1511, Latin text