Unpicking the Symbolism in Dürer’s Famous Image of Melancholy
A timeless engraving where art, science and allegory meet
This image is called Melencolia I and is one of Albrecht Dürer’s most superb engravings. Dürer was a German painter and printmaker, and one of the finest artists of his age. He made this enigmatic image in 1514 and it has since become one of the most debated artworks of all time.
Let me draw your attention to its foremost detail to start unravelling the full meaning.
We see the figure of Melancholy portrayed as an angel. She has a pair of wings — beautifully rendered with great technical virtuosity — and a wreath of leaves around her head. She rests her cheek on her hand, displaying an air of lethargy and brooding sorrow. Her dress is elaborately embroidered. In her lap she holds a pair of compasses and a closed book, apparently distracted from her intellectual pursuits by inner woes.
Surrounding her is a variety of puzzling objects, including a sleeping dog, an oil lamp, a set of keys, a syringe, a sphere and a large multi-faceted rock.
All these objects seem to be significant, but the detail I want to look at first is the quartet of objects on the wall behind her, hung across the side of a building.
