'Melencolia I'
Melencholia I after Durer. The title of the print is inscribed on a scroll unrolled by a bat in the top left hand corner. A winged creature, holding a book on her lap and dividers in her right hand, is surrounded by various tools and scientific instruments.
Melencolia I has been the subject of various (and sometimes diverging) interpretations. Melancholy, one of the four humours was linked to insanity but also to creative genius. Consequently, the print has often been described as an allegorical representation of the intellectual situation of the artist and can thus, by extension, be envisaged as a spiritual self-portrait of Dürer.
Melencolia I has been the subject of various (and sometimes diverging) interpretations. Melancholy, one of the four humours was linked to insanity but also to creative genius. Consequently, the print has often been described as an allegorical representation of the intellectual situation of the artist and can thus, by extension, be envisaged as a spiritual self-portrait of Dürer.
For more information about using images from our Collection, please contact RMG Images.
Object Details
ID: | PAH6127 |
---|---|
Type: | |
Display location: | Not on display |
Creator: | Durer, Albrecht |
Credit: | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Herschel Collection |
Measurements: | Sheet: 363 x 261 mm |
Your Request
If an item is shown as “offsite”, please allow eight days for your order to be processed. For further information, please contact Archive staff:
Email: library@rmg.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)20 8312 6516 (during Library opening hours)
Click “Continue” below to continue processing your order with the Library team.