The Opening of the Fifth and Sixth Seals

probably c. 1496/1498

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of a scene featuring celestial and terrestrial elements. The upper portion of the image depicts a heavenly realm with figures, clouds, angels, and an altar. The sun and moon, both with human faces, shine down upon the scene. Stars or sparks descend from the heavens toward the earth below. The lower portion shows a landscape with gestures, vegetation, and animals, responding to the celestial activities above. The composition is detailed, with religious and fantastical motifs, suggesting an allegorical or apocalyptic narrative.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 39.2 × 28.2 cm (15 7/16 × 11 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1971.39.4

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 168

  • Series Title

    The Apocalypse

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Baron Adalbert von Lanna [1836-1909], Prague, Bohemia (Lugt 2773). Siegfried Barden [1854-1917], Hamburg (Lugt 218). (P. & D. Colnaghi & Co., Ltd., London); purchased by NGA, 1971.

Associated Names

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.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 2: no. 116.

Inscriptions

verso, bottom left, in graphite by a later hand, perhaps partially erased: 3309-18; bottom left, in graphite by a later hand:B-25,764; lower left, in graphite by a later hand: B.65; lower right, in graphite by a later hand: 5 [encircled]; bottom right, in graphite by a later hand: c.28588

Markings

verso, bottom left corner: NGA stamp

Wikidata ID

Q18338537

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