Coat of Arms with a Skull, by Dürer (1503)

Title

Description

"In this stunning engraving, Dürer recast the theme of memento mori in a brilliantly unusual form. The woman in patrician dress is identified by her crown as a bride, but the person who embraces her from behind is a wild man. This traditional figure from German folklore is often present at weddings, but his shield, invisible to the young woman, reveals him to be a surrogate of Death. The angle of the skull on the shield is exactly that of the young woman's head." (Description from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA,
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/336220, Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20191122022428/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/336220)

Creator

Dürer, Albrecht (1471-1528)

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/336220

Accession number: 19.73.113

Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20191122022428/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/336220

Date

1503

Format

Engraving.
Dimensions: 22.1 × 15.8 cm