The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (from The Apocalypse woodcut series)

This black-and-white woodcut depicts a crowded, chaotic scene where four riders charge toward the lower left. The leading rider holds a bow, the second a sword, and the third a set of scales, while the fourth—a skeletal, emaciated figure—rides a thin horse and tramples victims, including a bishop and a king, underfoot. In the upper left sky, an angel with large, feathered wings flies amidst swirling clouds. The composition is dense, characterized by Dürer's rhythmic, parallel hatching lines that define muscle, fabric, and textures, creating a sense of rapid, violent motion.

This woodcut is part of Albrecht Dürer's 1498 series illustrating the Revelation of John from the New Testament, representing one of the most influential visualizations of the end-times in Western Christian iconography. It reflects the intense eschatological anxiety of late 15th-century Europe, where the imminence of the apocalypse was a common theological and cultural concern.