Young Woman Attacked by Death (The Ravisher)

Young Woman Attacked by Death (The Ravisher) is a powerful early engraving by Albrecht Dürer German, 1471-1528, executed between 1490 and 1500. This German print, rendered with sharp clarity in black ink on off-white laid paper, showcases the young Dürer's nascent technical mastery of the burin. As a specialist in printmaking, Dürer utilized the demanding engraving medium to create intensely detailed and widely circulated images that defined Northern Renaissance aesthetics. The precise handling of line, characteristic of Dürer's early style, is essential for depicting the stark contrast between life and mortality.

The work belongs to a major cultural tradition across Germany and Europe that emphasized morality and the omnipresence of Death, often referred to as the memento mori theme. It explicitly illustrates the concept that earthly beauty and youth are fleeting, showing the abrupt and inescapable claim Death makes on the physical body. The allegorical confrontation between the youthful, struggling woman and the decaying figure of Death, her “Ravisher,” served as a strong moralistic lesson for its audience. During this period, the ability to produce and circulate large numbers of high-quality prints significantly broadened the reach of theological and philosophical ideas beyond traditional painted formats.

The high quality and dramatic subject established this piece as one of the seminal early prints in Dürer's impressive corpus. This work, alongside many other masterworks from Dürer, is a crucial resource for studying the printmaking revolution of the late 15th century. The original impression of Young Woman Attacked by Death (The Ravisher) is housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a historic artwork, reproductions of Dürer's most famous prints are frequently made available through public domain initiatives.