The title and theme of one Dürer’s most renowned engravings is written on the banner held up by a bat in the upper left corner: Melencolia I, melancholy. What Dürer meant by this remains disputed. Are the symbols in the print part of a complicated rebus or a deeper message?
The print has been interpreted as a psychological self-portrait that shows the artist’s creative struggle and self-doubt. Most of the objects and instruments that surround the angel can be linked to geometry and metrology. During the 16th century, they were important tools in an artist’s creative process, not least in the study of perspective. In his enigmatic masterpiece, Dürer was able to combine emotion with rationality and science.
