The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, from “The Apocalypse”

Artist: Albrecht Dürer, German, 1471–1528
Date: c.1497–98
Material: Woodcut
made in: Germany, Europe
Classification: Prints
Collection: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: image (irregular): 15 9/16 x 11 1/8 in. (39.5 x 28.3 cm)
sheet (irregular): 16 in. x 11 7/16 in. (40.6 x 29 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Berenice C. Ballard in memory of her father and mother Mr. and Mrs. James F. Ballard
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 836:1940

NOTES

Albrecht Dürer revolutionized the woodcut medium, transforming it from small simple images that illustrated text into large powerful images that were part of extensive series. His image of four horsemen trampling everything in their path is one of the most memorable in Western art. Dürer illustrates the opening of the first four seals of Christ's scroll from the Book of Revelation. The monstrous image of Hell swallowing an emperor signifies the inevitable fate of all social classes.

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