Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original file
About This Work
The central winged figure rests her head on her hand, holding a compass while surrounded by a chaotic arrangement of objects including a sphere, a truncated rhombohedron, and various woodworking tools. Behind her, a putto scribbles on a tablet atop a grindstone, while a magic square, an hourglass, and a bell are mounted on the stone wall. In the distance, a bat-like creature carries a banner with the work's title across a sky illuminated by a comet and a rainbow.
This print is a cornerstone of Western esoteric art, representing the 'melancholy of the artist' and the Neoplatonic struggle between intellectual aspiration and human limitation. It specifically references the planetary influence of Saturn and the use of the Jupiter magic square as a talismanic remedy, reflecting the theories of Marsilio Ficino and Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa.
Inscriptions
MELENCOLIA I 16 3 2 13 5 10 11 8 9 6 7 12 4 15 14 1 AD
Translation
MELENCOLIA I 16 3 2 13 5 10 11 8 9 6 7 12 4 15 14 1
Connected Texts
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
The title 'Melencolia I' is believed to refer to the first stage of inspiration, 'Melencholia Imaginativa', described in Agrippa's De Occulta Philosophia.
Marsilio Ficino
The work visualizes Ficino's theories from 'De vita libri tres' regarding the temperament of the scholar and the dual nature of Saturnine influence.
Provenance & Source
Object
Engraving
allegory
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · CC0
https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/petit-palais/oeuvres/melencolia-i-copie-bartsch-74#infos-principales
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
4724 × 6010 px
20b4a02873f5bc92f8d670bc1c8a21ec205f63c7
August 1, 2023
March 24, 2026
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 1, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.