The Four Naked Women

The Four Naked Women is a powerful and technically complex early engraving created by Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528 in 1497. This foundational work demonstrates Dürer’s emerging mastery of both the Renaissance ideal and his meticulous execution in the Northern European graphic tradition. Rendered as an engraving in black on ivory laid paper, the print showcases the precision afforded by the burin, allowing Dürer to define form and volume through intricate networks of finely cut lines.

The subject depicts four female figures standing closely together, an arrangement often interpreted as an allegory. Scholars suggest the group may represent the four temperaments (sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic, and choleric), or perhaps the Four Graces, though Dürer avoids idealizing them in the manner of his later figures. Created in Germany shortly after the artist’s initial trip to Italy, the piece synthesizes classical concerns with the highly detailed, linear approach characteristic of German prints. The work reveals Dürer's intense focus on the theoretical issues of human anatomy and ideal proportion, challenging viewers with complex iconography and technical virtuosity.

This print helped solidify Dürer’s reputation across Europe as the foremost graphic artist of his generation, emphasizing the rising importance of printmaking as a medium for intellectual exchange. As an influential 15th-century masterpiece, the imagery associated with the work is widely available through public domain initiatives, providing access to essential early Renaissance graphic arts. This impressive impression of the engraving is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.