Artwork
The Fifth Knot (with a six-pointed white shield)
The Fifth Knot (with a six-pointed white shield) is an ink print by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1506 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The overall effect is a tightly interlaced decorative design, rendered through the relief printing process of woodcut.
Albrecht Dürer’s woodcut entitled *The Fifth Knot (with a six‑pointed white shield)* dates from around 1506. The print consists of a dense black circle filled with minute, swirling gold lines that suggest floral or knot motifs, surrounded by ornamental leaf patterns in the four corners. The overall effect is a tightly interlaced decorative design, rendered through the relief printing process of woodcut.
Subject & Meaning
The central motif is a compact, circular arrangement of intricate, looping lines that evoke the appearance of stylised flowers or interwoven knots. The surrounding leaf‑like elements frame the composition, creating a sense of rhythmic repetition. While the image does not depict a narrative scene, its ornamental complexity reflects the Renaissance interest in geometric patterning and symbolic decoration.
Technique & Style
Executed as a woodcut, Dürer carved the design into a wooden block, leaving the raised areas to receive ink. The print’s stark black background contrasts with the delicate gold‑toned lines, achieved by applying a fine, metallic pigment to the carved surfaces. The precision of the line work and the balanced symmetry are characteristic of Dürer’s meticulous approach to printmaking.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1506, the work belongs to Dürer’s early period of experimental prints that explore decorative motifs. The piece is catalogued among his lesser‑known woodcuts and has been held in several European collections, most notably appearing in German museum inventories in the 19th century before entering its present institutional setting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Albrecht Dürer spent his life in Nuremberg, a busy German city where artists traded prints like currency.
![Madonna and Child [obverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--madonna-and-child-obverse--d7b8ebf05d22ebe5-w320.webp)
![Lot and His Daughters [reverse], by Albrecht Dürer](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/albrecht-durer--lot-and-his-daughters-reverse--b4ebf9b282faa17a-w320.webp)
