The Whore of Babylon from the Apocalypse

Description

The Whore of Babylon from the Apocalypse is a 1497–98 woodcut by Albrecht Dürer. A richly dressed woman raises a goblet while seated on a beast with seven heads, giving the Book of Revelation’s vision a striking physical presence. The creature and its rider draw attention toward a scene in which splendor and menace occupy the same space.

Babylon burns in the distance as heavenly forces approach from the upper left. These simultaneous events expand the image beyond its central figure, connecting worldly display with the prospect of judgment. The gathered spectators and the intricate forms of the beast give the composition a crowded intensity. In The Whore of Babylon from the Apocalypse, Dürer turns a symbolic narrative into a vivid encounter, using sharply articulated line and contrasting passages of activity to sustain its dramatic force.