Melancholia I

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Albrecht Dürer's engraving Melancholia I (originally known by Dürer as Melencolia I) is an allegorical depiction of the symptoms of melancholy, now better known as depression.

Image:Melancholia I.png

Allusions and imagery used by Dürer in Melancholia I include:

• The numbers in the grid at top right form a 4 × 4 magic square, with the two middle cells of the bottom row giving the date of the engraving: 1514.
• The significance of the truncated cube has been the subject of numerous articles
• The hourglass shows time running out
• The despondent winged figure of genius
• The tools of geometry and architecture surround him, unused
• The purse and keys
• The comet and rainbow in the sky

External links

• A larger version of Melancholia I
• An even larger version (2 megs)
• A discussion of Dürer's studies of polyhedra
• Article on the use of symbolism in Melancholia I
• Another set of interpretations of imagery in Melancholia I
• And another...
• "Dürer's Melancholia": a sonnet by Edward Dowden
• "Melancholia I" (Giraffe Cartoon)he:מלנכוליה (ציור)

de:Melencolia I

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