The Seven Trumpets, from The Apocalypse

The Seven Trumpets, from The Apocalypse is a pivotal work of the German Renaissance created by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) between 1496 and 1498. This striking print is executed as a woodcut in black ink on tan laid paper. Dürer’s groundbreaking series, The Apocalypse, revolutionized the art of book illustration and established him as the leading graphic artist in Germany at the turn of the 16th century.

The subject matter depicts the dramatic moment prophesied in the Book of Revelation when the seven angels prepare to sound their trumpets, initiating escalating plagues and chaos upon the earthly realm. Dürer organizes the crowded scene vertically, placing the divine agents above the tumultuous lower world. The masterful execution of the woodcut medium demonstrates Dürer’s technical brilliance, allowing him to achieve deep contrasts and intricate detail. He employs sharp lines and varied hatching to render the terrifying scale of the divine judgment and the physical effects on the landscape and figures below.

Produced during a period of widespread religious fervor and millennial anxiety, this piece resonated deeply with contemporary audiences. Dürer's innovation elevated the status of the print medium from mere illustration to high art, ensuring that his visual interpretation of the biblical text achieved broad distribution. Today, original prints such as this one, which captures the intense drama characteristic of the artist, remain highly influential historical documents. The work resides in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, and due to its historical importance, reproductions of Dürer’s iconic series are widely available in the public domain.