The Four Horsemen, 1498 (1511 edition)
Albrecht Dürerexpand_more
Woodcutexpand_more
The William M. Ladd Collection Gift of Herschel V. Jones, 1916expand_more P.206
Not on Viewexpand_more
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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