The Angel with the Key to the Bottomless Pit

probably c. 1496/1498

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is an illustration featuring angels and a demonic creature in a detailed medieval cityscape. The angels have large wings and flowing robes, while the demonic creature has horns and scales. In the background, there is a city surrounded by hills and mountains. Two angels in the sky observe the scene, and the city includes towers, bridges, gates, and a winding river. The drawing is done in a dense line style reminiscent of woodcuts.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 39.2 × 28.1 cm (15 7/16 × 11 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3567

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 178

  • Series Title

    The Apocalypse

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d), 1928; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1968

  • Good and Bad Angels, University of Notre Dame Art Gallery, IN, 1968, no catalogue.

1971

  • Dürer in America: His Graphic Work, NGA, 1971, no. 106, repro.

1973

  • The Apocalypse, University of Maryland Art Gallery, College Park, 1973, no. 19.

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. 126.

Inscriptions

verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: 303

Wikidata ID

Q18338547

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