Coat of Arms with a Skull (Q18338441)

Label from: English (en)

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movement: German Renaissance (Q2455000)
genre: achievement (Q2532754)
artist: Albrecht Dürer (Q5580)
collection: National Gallery of Art (Q214867) Prints in the National Gallery of Art (Q64946756) Rosenwald Collection (Q62274660) Cleveland Museum of Art (Q657415)
location: National Gallery of Art (Q214867) Cleveland Museum of Art (Q657415)
fabrication method: copper engraving technique (Q4287629)
depicts: human skull (Q9604) couple (Q219160) bird's wing (Q15719234) walking stick (Q1347864) combat helmet (Q3579211)
instance of: copper engraving print (Q18887969) print (Q11060274)
National Gallery of Art artwork ID: 6607

catalog URL: https://clevelandart.org/art/1953.9

information from the National Gallery of Art catalog

description: In this visual allegory, Dürer creatively entangled themes of love and death. The hairy wild man, a traditional medieval figure of virility, lust, and aggression, plays the role of lover to a maiden dressed in alluring clothing. The skull on the fanciful coat of arms is a bold reminder that vanity and illicit desire carry a mortal price.

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