Cleveland Museum of Art

The Ravisher

Albrecht Dürer

Date

c. 1495

Medium

engraving

Culture

Germany, late 15th Century

Department

Prints

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The Ravisher portrays a chaotic struggle between a woman and Death, personified here as a wild-eyed corpse-like man. Having mistaken Death as her lover, she attempts to flee, but is thwarted by his firm grip. Images that feature Death often communicated moralizing messages about the dangers of sin and the fleeting nature of life. Had Dürer thought it necessary, he would have included an inscription in the scroll above. However, this could have been redundant since the horror of the scene clearly indicates that Death was exacting payment for the woman’s life of sin.

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