The Babylonian Whore

probably c. 1496/1498

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

This is a drawing of a scene depicting fantastical and dramatic elements. The drawing features intricate details showcasing ethereal figures, chaos, armored riders on horses in swirling clouds, a central figure wearing a crown on a multi-headed beast, winged figures flying above, a city in destruction with flames and crashing waves, and people in Renaissance-style attire observing the scene. The composition suggests a dynamic interplay between heaven and earth, chaos and order.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Philip Hofer

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 38.9 × 28.2 cm (15 5/16 × 11 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1941.3.10

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 177

  • Series Title

    The Apocalypse

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Philip Hofer [1898-1984], Cambridge, MA; gift to NGA, 1941.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1970

  • Albrecht Dürer, 1471-1528: A Study Exhibition of Print Connoisseurship, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1970-1971, no. 31A.

1971

  • Dürer in America: His Graphic Work, NGA, 1971, no. 105, repro.

1983

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., July 1983.

1995

  • Imitation and Invention: Old Master Prints and Their Sources, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995.

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. 125.

Inscriptions

verso, bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: B-293; bottom right, in graphite by a later hand: B.74; bottom right, in brown ink: XIV XVII [upside down]

Markings

verso, lower left: NGA stamp

Wikidata ID

Q18338545

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