Melencolia I [SEP] creator
Melencolia I
Melencolia I is a 1514 engraving by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. The print's central subject is an enigmatic and gloomy winged female figure thought to be a personification of melancholia. Holding her head in her hand, she stares past the busy scene in front of her. The area is strewn with symbols and tools associated with craft and carpentry, including an hourglass, weighing scales, a hand plane and a saw. Other objects relate to alchemy, geometry or numerology. Behind the figure is a structure
magic square based on the magic square in Melencolia I. The square is rotated and one number in each row and column is reduced by one so the rows and columns add up to 33 instead of the standard 34 for a 4x4 magic square.
External links.
- "Melencolia I" overview by the National Gallery of Art
- "Melencolia I" overview by the Khan Academy