The Seven Angels with the Trumpet, from "The Apocalypse"

"The Seven Angels with the Trumpet, from "The Apocalypse"" by Albrecht Dürer, executed in 1498, is a pivotal work in the history of German Renaissance prints. This powerful image is one of fifteen individual woodcuts comprising Dürer’s renowned series illustrating the Book of Revelation, a project that established the artist’s reputation across Europe and revolutionized the graphic arts. Unlike earlier, often crude, uses of relief printing, this woodcut showcases Dürer’s profound commitment to classical modeling and technical detail, bringing unprecedented depth to the medium.

The composition dramatically depicts the moment described in the biblical Apocalypse where the seven angels stand ready to sound their trumpets, initiating a catastrophic sequence of divine judgment and earthly destruction. Dürer utilizes intricate cross-hatching to define the voluminous robes of the angels and capture the turbulent atmospheric effects of the scene. The monumental scale of the figures and the intensity of the composition reflect the millenarian anxieties prevalent across Europe nearing the turn of the sixteenth century.

This masterwork, recognized for its technical brilliance and expressive force, cemented Dürer’s position as the foremost graphic artist of his era, proving that printed works could rival the expressive complexity of paintings. The enduring power of prints such as The Seven Angels with the Trumpet ensures their continued study as foundational pieces of the Northern Renaissance. This celebrated early Renaissance print is currently housed within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.