“The Second Knot”. Interlaced Roundel with an Amazon Shield in its Center 1500 - 1521

Albrecht Dürer created this woodcut, "The Second Knot", as one of his series of six knot designs. Dürer was working at the intersection of the late medieval artisan tradition, which valued elaborate surface decoration, and the new humanism, which looked to classical antiquity for inspiration and legitimation. The visual codes in this image reflect both. The "Amazon Shield" in the center is a classical reference, but the elaborate, interwoven knot work recalls the decorative arts of the late medieval period. Dürer's images can be seen as either conservative or progressive. On the one hand, the image participates in the medieval celebration of craft. On the other hand, printmaking allowed for the democratization of images, and the shield could be seen as a symbol of burgeoning individualism. As historians, we can look to the history of printmaking, the history of ornament, and the history of classical reception to better understand this artwork. Ultimately, the meaning of this work is contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which it was made and received.