The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 24, 2024

Nemesis

Nemesis

c. 1501–02
(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, early 16th Century
engraving
Platemark: 33.3 x 23 cm (13 1/8 x 9 1/16 in.)
Gift of Mrs. Ralph King 1943.178
Catalogue raisonné: Meder 72b
Location: not on view

Description

According to the Latin poem that inspired this engraving, Nemesis, the Greek goddess of retribution, had the “power to crush the arrogant minds and triumphs of men and to confound their too ambitious plans.” Ready to dispense judgment, Nemesis hovers formidably above the clouds that separate her from the insignificant town below. As in the poem, here Nemesis has her traditional attributes—a bridle for punishment and a goblet for reward—but Dürer conflated her with Fortuna, the goddess of fortune, who balances on a sphere to symbolize the unpredictable, topsy-turvy nature of fate.
  • ?-1943
    Fanny Tewksbury King [1867-1949], Cleveland Heights, OH
    April 26, 1943
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Gods and Heroes: Ancient Legends in Renaissance Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-December 31, 2017).
    Dürer’s Women: Images of Devotion and Desire. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 22-September 28, 2014).
    Albrecht Dürer and His Influence. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 16-March 10, 1991).
    Old Master Prints and Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 29, 1966-February 28, 1967).
    Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 3, 1958-October 11, 1959).
    Exhibition of the Month: Ways of Drawing Nudes. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-June 6, 1945).
  • {{cite web|title=Nemesis|url=false|author=Albrecht Dürer|year=c. 1501–02|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1943.178