Minneapolis Institute of Art

Coat-of-Arms with a Skull

Albrecht Dürer

Date

c. 1503

Medium

Engraving

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The woman is dressed as well-to-do bride in the traditional garb of Nuremberg, Albrecht Dürer's hometown. In the Middle Ages, man dressed in furry costumes would sometimes cavort at wedding feasts, for as wild men, they celebrated the joys of the carnal side of marriage. Here the bride does not seem displeased by the tender words whispered by her hirsute suitor. But, with the distorted reflection of a skull-your skull-Dürer reminds us that all good things have to come to an end. Germany, Europe

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