Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)

Knight, Death, and the Devil

Durer was one of the most important artists of the Renaissance in northern Europe. He was born in Nuremberg, his father was a goldsmith but Durer was apprenticed to a painter and printmaker. Two trips to Italy had a major influence on him. The art of the Italian Renaissance shaped his ideas on composition, perspective, colour and light and made him an internationally renowned painter.

Durer first made his name as a printmaker and in his hands the woodcut and copper engraving were raised to new heights of artistry and technique. Knight, Death and the Devil (1513) is one of three highly detailed engravings known as Durer's master prints. It is usually thought to represent a Christian knight on the journey through life. Death holds out an hourglass symbolising mortality while the Devil reaches for the horseman. Yet the knight is unconcerned and rides on protected by the armour of his faith.

← Back to the Collection