Knight, Death and the Devil by Albrecht Durer Decorative Cushion

Knight, Death and the Devil by Albrecht Durer, 1513, is a copper engraving of one of the most awesome images in European art. A noble knight mounted on horseback strides diligently forward, armed with helmet, sword and lance with his loyal dog at his side. Behind him in desolate wasteland are the figures of Death, mounted on a mule and holding an hourglass counting the knight’s passing years, and the Devil, a hooved demon, glare at the knight and his purpose. This image captures the tone of the original paper on which Durer printed the design. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a German painter of the Northern Renaissance whose work as an engraver, printmaker, mathematician and theorist secured his reputation as one of the greatest artists of Europe. His many paintings, portraits, altarpieces, watercolors, and engravings were the first in the Northern Renaissance to use classical motifs from antiquity and the Italian Renaissance. Durer’s unparalleled skill in drawing and engraving as well as mastery of perspective allowed him rapid execution of a range of motifs which elicit universal admiration to this day.