Description
The image of courage that Western civilisation produced in 1513.
Albrecht Dürer engraved three masterworks in 1513 and 1514 that are now called the Meisterstiche — the Master Engravings. Melencolia I is the third. This is the first.
The Knight
A rider in full armour moves through a narrow valley. Death — a crowned skeleton — rides alongside him, holding an hourglass. The Devil — horned, grotesque — follows at his heel. The knight looks neither left nor right. His horse moves forward.
Erasmus of Rotterdam described the Stoic-Christian ideal as the miles Christianus — the Christian soldier who confronts the world’s evils without fear because his foundation is secure. This engraving is that concept made visible.
The knight is not unaware of Death and the Devil. He sees them. He continues.
Esoteric reading
In the Western magical tradition, the knight is the initiate moving through the astral plane — the valley of shadow — accompanied by the forces he must integrate rather than defeat. The hourglass marks the limit of earthly time. The dog — faithful, following — represents the rational mind that accompanies the spirit on its journey.
This is an image for those who move forward regardless.
About this print
Museum-quality archival print. Produced on premium paper with archival inks. Public domain original (1513). Ships worldwide.
