Masquerade Dance with Torches
1922
Medium
Woodcut; Dershau restrike, 1922
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.112.1(14)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer’s *Masquerade Dance with Torches* captures a lively nocturnal procession through the dynamic medium of woodcut. Created by the celebrated German Renaissance master, this print exemplifies Dürer’s ability to infuse graphic art with movement and theatrical energy. The scene features men and women in costume, some wielding spears and torches, evoking a festive yet martial masquerade that blends celebration with ritual. As a 1922 Dershau restrike, the work highlights the enduring appeal of Dürer’s original blocks, which continued to be printed centuries later. Woodcuts allowed Düre...
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...