The Beast with Two Horns like a Lamb, from The Apocalypse

The Beast with Two Horns like a Lamb, from The Apocalypse by Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528, is a seminal work executed as a woodcut in black ink on tan laid paper. Created between 1496 and 1498, this piece is one of the fifteen large-format illustrations comprising Dürer's highly influential Apocalypse series. Dürer’s prints revolutionized printmaking in Germany, elevating the woodcut medium from a crude illustrative technique to a sophisticated artistic form rivaling engraving.

The subject directly references the Book of Revelation (13:11), depicting the second beast rising from the earth. The creature is deceptively portrayed as lamb-like while possessing horns and speaking with the authority of a dragon. This period in late fifteenth-century Germany was fraught with religious and political anxiety surrounding millenarian prophecy, making Dürer’s Apocalypse series immensely popular and timely. Dürer masterfully uses stark contrasts, dynamic lines, and dramatic composition, typical of his mature Northern Renaissance style, to convey the visionary horror of the biblical scene.

Classified as a print, this powerful example of early modern graphic design is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. The exceptional detail achieved in this woodcut confirms Dürer’s position as the leading exponent of the medium during his lifetime. Because of the age and enduring widespread influence of this work, high-quality images and scholarly information regarding Dürer's significant contributions to graphic arts are widely accessible, often entering the public domain for research and educational purposes.