The Whore of Babylon, from The Apocalypse

1496–98

Albrecht Dürer
German, 1471-1528

Albrecht Dürer’s illustrations of the Apocalypse display an unprecedented scale and complexity. In this sheet, the Whore of Babylon, one of the visions foretold in the biblical book of Revelation, is perched on a seven-headed scarlet beast with 10 horns, holding aloft a chalice full of the “abominations and filthiness of her fornication.” She appears in contemporary Italian dress, perhaps a reference to the burning city in the distance, which is commonly interpreted as Rome, whose seven hills matched the beast’s seven heads.

Status: On View, Gallery 202
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Albrecht Dürer
Title: The Whore of Babylon, from The Apocalypse
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 1496–1498
Medium: Woodcut in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: 38.6 × 28 cm (15 1/4 × 11 1/16 in.)
Credit Line: Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
Reference Number: 1956.961
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. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/4137/manifest.json

Bartsch 73

Meder 177 Before text

Strauss 45

Schoch, Mende, & Scherbaum 125

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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.

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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. Learn more.

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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.

Learn more.