Minneapolis Institute of Art
The Coat-of-Arms with the Skull
Albrecht DürerLinkedCulture matchlcp-840f7214ff34
- Date
- 1503
- Medium
- Engraving
- Department
- European Art
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
- Object ID
- 47087
From LinkedCulture
A skull sits exactly where a noble family's proud emblem should be, turning the entire language of heraldry upside down. Albrecht Dürer's 1503 engraving shows a crested helmet, a wild man from Germanic folklore, and a crowned noblewoman flanking that shield, all surrounded by intricate acanthus scrollwork and rendered with breathtaking precision. Dürer invented this coat of arms for no real family, making it a vanitas image disguised as courtly display. It is a reminder that no rank or lineage survives death.
Written by LinkedCulture for its video on this object. Machine-generated (claude-sonnet-4-6), not yet reviewed by a person. It is not part of the museum’s record.
From the Minneapolis Institute of Art record
Germany, Europe Dimensions: 8 11/16 x 6 1/4 in. (22.07 x 15.88 cm) (image)
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- The William M. Ladd Collection Gift of Herschel V. Jones, 1916
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