Albrecht Dürer (1471 - 1528)
Melancolia I
Title
Melancolia I
Dating
1514
Material/Technique
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Mått 24,00 x 18,60 cm
Category
Inventory number
G 571/1928
Acquisition
Purchase, 1927
Display Status
Not on display at the museum
Description
The title and theme of one Dürer’s most renowned engravings is written on the banner held up by a bat in the upper left corner: Melencolia I, melancholy. What Dürer meant by this remains disputed. Are the symbols in the print part of a complicated rebus or a deeper message?
The print has been interpreted as a psychological self-portrait that shows the artist’s creative struggle and self-doubt. Most of the objects and instruments that surround the angel can be linked to geometry and metrology. During the 16th century, they were important tools in an artist’s creative process, not least in the study of perspective. In his enigmatic masterpiece, Dürer was able to combine emotion with rationality and science.
Signature/Inscription
Signature (Nere till höger i plåten): 1514 AD
Inscriptions (Uppe till vänster i plåten): MELENCOLIA I
Etikett/Stämpel (a tergo nere till höger): GM
Inscriptions (a tergo nere till höger): 571/1928
Inscriptions (a tergo nere till vänster): B 74
Exhibition History
Printed. Prints as collector's items, mass media and showpieces, Göteborg, Göteborgs konstmuseum, 14/03/2020 - 16/08/2020
Literature
Erwin Panofsky, Albrecht Dürer. Volume One, red., Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1945., p. 156-171
Rudolf Zeitler, Albrecht Dürer, red., Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm, 1946., p. 132-135, ill. p. 133
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