“The Third Knot”. Interlaced Roundel with Eight Wreaths and a Scalloped Shield in its Center

Description

The Third Knot forms a dense circular network of pale interlaced lines around a small, scalloped shield. Eight wreath-like patterns emerge from the larger web, while four leaf-shaped corner ornaments extend the design outward. The Third Knot invites the eye to follow paths that seem endlessly connected, balancing an immediately clear circular outline with a complexity that only unfolds through patient looking.

This woodcut by Albrecht Dürer follows a design associated with Leonardo da Vinci or his workshop. The sharp contrast between the light knotwork and dark ground keeps its intricate structure legible, even as individual paths cross and disappear within the whole. Its visual pleasure comes from that balance of order and uncertainty: repeated patterns promise clarity, while the continuous movement of the lines keeps offering new routes through the image.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Dürer collection.