The Sea Monster

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Artist Albrecht Dürer (German, May 21, 1471–April 6, 1528)

Title The Sea Monster (Das Meerwunder)

Date Ca. 1498

Medium Engraving on paper

Dimensions Image: 9 13/16 × 7 5/8 in. (24.9 × 19.4 cm)
Sheet: 9 13/16 × 7 5/8 in. (24.9 × 19.4 cm)

Credit Line William H. Conroy Memorial, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 72.86.1

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About this Work

The young maiden in The Sea Monster casts a wistful glance back toward the shoreline as her merman captor spirits her out to sea. Her languorous pose invokes a tradition of the reclining female nude familiar to Dürer from various antique prototypes. Tales of abduction from both classical mythology and Germanic folklore inspired many artists in the Renaissance, including Dürer. The specific source of his inspiration for The Sea Monster, if any, nonetheless remains elusive. Merging disparate imagery from both north and south, Dürer seems to have devised an entirely novel composition. This engraving proved especially popular on the Italian market.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

Publisher Albrecht Dürer (German, May 21, 1471–April 6, 1528)

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"The Sea Monster | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2024. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=72.86.1