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Knight, Death, and the Devil

A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1513

Artist:

Albrecht Dürer
German, 1471-1528

About this artwork

Albrecht Dürer’s masterful engraving encourages the viewer to reflect on the inevitability of their mortality. Lurking behind the knight on his muscular warhorse, the skeletal, deteriorating figure of Death sits astride his aging steed and demonstrates the running hourglass of Time. The juxtaposition of the knight and Death suggests the knight’s impending demise. Despite this Christian soldier’s battle-ready appearance, no amount of armor can protect him (and, by proxy, the rest of humanity) from death, though he shows no outward signs of fear or of temptation by the devil, who follows closely behind.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Albrecht Dürer

Title

Knight, Death, and the Devil

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1513

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/plate: 24.5 × 19 cm (9 11/16 × 7 1/2 in.); Sheet: 25.3 × 19.7 cm (10 × 7 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Robert Alexander Waller Memorial Fund

Reference Number

1959.538

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/11100/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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