ALBRECHT DÜRER | MELENCOLIA I (B. 74; M., HOLL. 75)

Ex coll. Tomas Harris (not in Lugt); with Colnaghi’s, on behalf of the heirs of the above; the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts; purchased from the above in 1968, deaccessioned in 2013; with Christie’s London, December 2013, lot 37 (£218,500)

"Melencolia I is a depiction of the intellectual situation of the artist and is thus, by extension, a spiritual self-portrait of Dürer." - Suzanna Boorsch, in 'The Print in the North: The Age of Albrecht Dürer and Lucas van Leyden', 1997

 She is the face that launched a thousand theories: for centuries, Albrecht Dürer’s mysterious Melencolia I has instilled awe and captured imaginations. Though her identity as the personification of ‘melancholy’ is revealed on a scroll at upper left, little else is known for certain. The print’s abundant iconography has been disputed for generations; linked to geometry, astronomy, alchemy, theology, and more. Dürer’s genius is immortalised through this perplexing image, which calls for, and yet defies, analysis.

Dürer’s curious interpretation of ‘melancholy’ continues to challenge viewers today. The female thinker appears deep in thought, one hand holding a calliper, the other supporting her head. Tools associated with carpentry and geometry are strewn about, while a ladder rests on a structure flanked by an hour glass, a bell, and a magic square - the sum of each row, column, and diagonal equals 34. Amidst the clutter, a dog dozes peacefully between a sphere and a millstone, upon which a putto scribbles notes.

One prevailing theory is that Melencolia I demonstrates the woe of the fine artist. Some read Melencolia as Dürer’s humble and despairing self-portrait. According to Humoral theory, introduced by Greek physician Hippocrates, melancholy was the least desirable of the four humours, which were believed to influence the human body and emotions. Melancholics supposedly possessed a surplus of black bile, which drove them mad. During the Renaissance, however, Dürer’s peers re-defined the melancholic temperament, aligning it with creativity as well as insanity.

Perhaps Dürer, a perfectionist, could relate to his melancholic winged figure, who despite her intellect and resources, is grounded, presumably unable to fly. While a bat flits above in the cosmos, she is relegated to earth, seeking solutions via the very theories Dürer relied on to master absolute beauty. Frustrated and paralyzed by the limited scope of human knowledge, however, she appears to have abandoned her creative problem-solving process.

Ironically, in portraying creative frustration, Dürer produced one of the most impactful and sought-after engravings in history. Considered one of his three Meisterstiche (master engravings), Melencolia I, alongside his iconic Knight, Death, and the Devil and Saint Jerome in His Study, introduces new depths of textural and tonal range. Through these three subjects alone, each created 1513-14, Dürer is credited with having transformed Western printmaking, and revolutionizing the medium as a fine art form.

This fine, silvery Meder a-b impression, printing luminously, speaks to Dürer’s unique talent, and boasts impressive provenance, having hailed from the collection of Tomás Harris. Harris, an Old Master connoisseur, is especially known for his expertise in Francisco de Goya y Lucientes’ prints, some of which appear to have been inspired by Dürer’s engravings. The timeless Melencolia I, for instance, is often cited as the source behind the Spanish artist’s most haunted and iconic plate from Los Caprichos: El sueño de la razon produce monstrous. 

An image ahead of its time, Dürer’s world-renowned engraving has continued to resonate with printmakers. As late as 1902, Symbolist Edvard Munch created his early twentieth century take on the brooding thinker by the shore with his emotive Melancholy III (Lot 98). Munch’s direct adaptation best demonstrates Dürer’s influence, not just as a draughtsman, but as an interpreter of the human condition.