Albrecht Dürer

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) was a celebrated German artist and engraver who learned perspective from the Italians and introduced it to Germany. His famous engravings, such as St Jerome in his Study, show his interest in perspective.

Dürer’s enigmatic engraving Melencolia I features the brooding figure of Melancholy in reflective mood, holding a pair of compasses. Featured are a giant polyhedron, a sphere, dividers, an hourglass, and a 4 × 4 magic square in which the numbers in each row, column and diagonal add up to 34; the date of the engraving, 1514, appears in the bottom row.

[Dubai 1971; Mongolia 1978; Panama 1967; Romania 1971]