The artwork you’re referring to, commonly mislabeled as “Horse final death,” is actually “Knight, Death and the Devil” by Albrecht Dürer, created in 1513, during the Northern Renaissance. This is an allegorical copper engraving that reflects the moral and religious complexities of the time, rather than a literal depiction of a horse’s death.
In “Knight, Death and the Devil,” a stoic knight rides through a narrow gorge accompanied by a dog. On the knight’s left side stands Death, depicted as a decaying corpse holding an hourglass, a reminder of life’s brevity. The devil lurks behind the knight, characterized as a monstrous figure, seemingly in pursuit or as a constant presence of evil. The knight remains undeterred, symbolizing the Christian knight on the path of righteousness, facing temptations and threats but staying true to his moral and chivalric code. The engravings of 1513 and the detailed craftsmanship are typical of Dürer’s work, and the piece is rendered with intricate linework, creating a dramatic and tense atmosphere inherent to the Northern Renaissance style.
