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Albrecht Dürer German
Not on view
The third woodcut from Dürer’s Apocalypse, the Four Horsem*n presents a dramatically distilled version of the passage from the book of Revelation (6:1–8). Transforming what was a relatively staid and unthreatening image in earlier illustrated Bibles, Dürer injects motion and danger into this climactic moment through his subtle manipulation of the wood block. The parallel lines across the image establish a basic middle tone, against which the artist silhouettes and overlaps the powerful forms of the four horses and riders—from left to right, Death on his pale horse, Famine with his scales, War carrying a sword, and Plague (or Pestilence) with his bow and crown. The Mouth of Hell, ready for victims, opens up at bottom left.
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Artwork Details
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Title: Four Horsem*n of the Apocalypse
Artist: Albrecht Dürer (German, Nuremberg 1471–1528 Nuremberg)
Date: ca. 1497/1498
Medium: Woodcut
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Felix M. Warburg, 1940
Accession Number: 40.139.6(5)
Learn more about this artwork
Timeline of Art History
Essay
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
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Anselm Kiefer (born 1945)
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Arms and Armor - Common Misconceptions and Frequently Asked Questions
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Jan Gossart (ca. 1478-1532) and His Circle
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Portraiture in Renaissance and Baroque Europe
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Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669): Prints
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The Decoration of Arms and Armor
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The Printed Image in the West: History and Techniques
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The Rediscovery of Classical Antiquity
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The Reformation
Chronology
Central Europe (including Germany), 1400-1600 A.D.
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How Woodcuts are Made
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Drawings and Prints at The Met
The Met's collection of drawings and prints—one of the most comprehensive and distinguished of its kind in the world—began with a gift of 670 works from Cornelius Vanderbilt, a Museum trustee, in 1880.
