Morisa Rosenberg
Head of Department
Lot 3
Albrecht Dürer(1471-1528)Nemesis
31 March – 9 April 2025, 12:00 PDT
Online, Los AngelesSold for US$51,200 inc. premium
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Victoria Zaks
Specialist, Head of Sale
Catherine Lay
Cataloguer
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)
Nemesis (Bartsch 77, Meder, Hollstein 72, Schoch Mende Scherbaum 33), c. 1501
Engraving on laid paper with Small Jug watermark (Meder 158), an exceptionally fine early impression, Meder's second (final) state c (of f), with narrow margins, framed.
plate 13 x 8 15/16in (33.1 x 22.7cm)
sheet 13 1/8 x 9 1/16in (33.3 x 22.9cm)
Engraving on laid paper with Small Jug watermark (Meder 158), an exceptionally fine early impression, Meder's second (final) state c (of f), with narrow margins, framed.
plate 13 x 8 15/16in (33.1 x 22.7cm)
sheet 13 1/8 x 9 1/16in (33.3 x 22.9cm)
Footnotes
Provenance
Théodore Hippert (Lugt 1377);
Unidentified collector's stamp (Lugt 1950);
Ernest-Théophile Devaulx (Lugt 2667);
Christie's, London, Old Master Prints, 02 December, 2008, Lot 14.
Christopher Clark Fine Art, San Francisco;
Acquired directly from the above.
Albrecht Dürer's Nemesis, his second-largest engraving, stands among his greatest allegorical works, alongside Melencolia I and Knight, Death, and the Devil. For centuries, scholars debated its subject, often identifying it as Fortuna, the personification of fate. However, a reference in Dürer's 1521 Netherlandish diary confirms the print as Nemesis, the Greek goddess of retribution.
A striking embodiment of Renaissance humanist ideals, Nemesis soars above an exquisitely detailed alpine landscape, her commanding form gliding over the valley of Klausen in the Eisack Valley — an area Dürer sketched on his travels across the Alps. She carries a bridle and a goblet, symbols of divine justice, meant to both restrain the prideful and reward the virtuous. These attributes derive from Angelo Poliziano's Manto, a text Dürer likely encountered through his close friend, the Nuremberg humanist Willibald Pirckheimer.
Dürer's technical brilliance is evident in the print's breathtaking precision, from the finely delineated feathers of Nemesis' wings to the shimmering metallic contours of her goblet, modeled after a Nuremberg silver vessel. The engraving's juxtaposition of mythological grandeur and meticulous realism results in a composition that is at once celestial and surreal.
Often described as a classical counterpart to the Apocalypse, Nemesis mirrors the cosmic drama of Christian revelation, evoking parallels to Dürer's Saint Michael Fighting the Dragon. The celestial realm remains oblivious to the quiet, earthly world below, where divine justice unfolds beyond human perception.
Fine impressions of Nemesis are held in major institutions, including the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Albertina. The present example is an exceptionally sharp and richly inked impression, preserving the full depth and complexity of Dürer's masterful composition.
Condition reports are not provided in catalog descriptions. The absence of a condition report does not guarantee that the lot is in good condition or free from damage and wear. We encourage you to request a condition report and/or additional photos prior to bidding on any lot.
