The Ravisher

c. 1495

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of figures in a natural setting. The illustration portrays a woman in medieval-style attire sitting next to a wild-looking figure. The background features swirling lines and branches, creating a textured backdrop. An ornate scroll is present across the top. The detailed line work and hatching add volume and intricate detailing, typical of the period's graphic work. The composition's fluidity and theatricality suggest influence from Renaissance graphic traditions.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate): 11.3 × 10.4 cm (4 7/16 × 4 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3452

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 76

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Vincent Mayer [1831-1918], New York (Lugt 2525); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d), 1929; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1929

  • Engravings by Albrecht Durer from the collection of Lessing J. Rosenwald of Philadelphia, Baltimore Museum of Art, 1929, no. 27.

1953

  • Nuremberg and the German World, 1460-1530: Prints and books from the Kress and Rosenwald Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1953.

1970

  • Albrecht Dürer, 1471-1528: A Study Exhibition of Print Connoisseurship, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1970-1971, no. 1A.

1971

  • Dürer in America: His Graphic Work, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1971.

1990

  • Eva/Ave: Woman in Renaissance and Baroque Prints, NGA, 1990, no. 129, repro.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

1990

  • Russell 1990, cat.no.129.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 1: no. 1

2013

  • Brisman, Shira. "The Image That Wants to Be Read: An Invitation for Interpretation in a Drawing by Albrecht Dürer." Word & Image 29, no. 3 (July/September 2013): 295, 297, nt. 53, 54, fig. 16.

Inscriptions

verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: 86; verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: B.92; verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: a69432; verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: NR [?] 31638

Watermarks

high crown (Meder 20)

Wikidata ID

Q18338497

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