Clue #22: Albrecht Durer, Part 2

The 22nd Twitter clue, sent at 8:50 a.m. PDT, Thurs., July 2nd:

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His subjects are the first couple, horned ungulate, blessed Jerome.

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Here we meet again the renowned German Renaissance artist, Albrecht Durer, featured in Clue #9 (life detailed here and here; reproductions of many pieces of art available at the latter site, and here). Among Durer's most famous artworks are his representations of Adam and Eve (the first human couple mentioned in the Bible; see his engraving of 1504 and painting of 1507), his engraving of a rhino (an "ungulate," or hoofed beast, with a horn), and his engraving of St. Jerome in his study (all shown above).

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Why bring up Durer again? In my description of Clue #9, I focused on Masonic symbolism in Durer's work. However, there are other reasons for Durer to figure into The Lost Symbol, especially given the religious climate in which he lived. Durer harbored significant sympathies in favor of reforming the Catholic church, although he remained Catholic himself -- much like Michelangelo. Perhaps Dan Brown plans to portray Durer as a member of the Spirituali, the secret society for Catholic reform, of which Michelangelo was a member (Clue #19).

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But why mention these particular pieces of art? The artworks themselves are certainly masterpieces. One might guess that, in the novel, they are specific pieces that will be at some sort of Durer exhibition or collection in or near Washington, DC. (Of course, many copies of a given print are struck off, so it is easy for a printmaker like Durer to have original prints on display or in collections all over the world.) In terms of the specific pieces, though, a few things come to mind.

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Adam and Eve

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The topic of Adam and Eve, of course, brings up the topic of human reproduction. As I have speculated with regard to Clue #11, conflict concerning reproductive technologies and their religious implications is a topic that might come up in the novel. This would be natural for Dan Brown, whose works combine centuries-old conspiracy with cutting-edge high-tech science. For example, in Angels & Demons, a significant plot device involves the creation of antimatter; perhaps The Lost Symbol involves a high-tech topic like human cloning.

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Another issue that comes to mind is the idea of Adam and Eve as a married couple. In traditional belief, Adam and Eve were married by God in the Garden of Eden. (See, in the Jewish Tanakh or the Christian Bible's Old Testament, the passage Genesis 1:28.) Symbolically, however, marriage of male and female has sigificance in esoteric studies and alchemy (see C. G. Jung, Collected Works, vol. 13, "Alchemical Studies," and vol. 14, "Mysterium Coniunctionis"). Thus, Durer's Adam and Eve print and painting may touch upon alchemical themes that we have met in Clue #18 and shall meet again in Clue #25 (the Rosy Cross).

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Rhinoceros

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Durer made his 1515 woodcut of a rhinoceros without ever having seen one; he read a description and saw a quick sketch of one that had just been delivered to Lisbon. Nonetheless, and despite its scientific inaccuracies, this woodcut still appeared in the occasional German science textbook, into the 20th century. It's a stretch, but perhaps in The Lost Symbol the matter of Durer's Rhinoceros touches upon issues of observation and science; these are topics that come up prominently in the Twitter clue involving Francis Bacon (Clue #7).

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Of its own, the rhino is a symbol associated with virility, strength, and invulnerability in combat. However, in earlier centuries in Europe, the rhinoceros was sometimes confused with the mythical unicorn, a creature replete with esoteric symbolism.

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St. Jerome

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Durer's woodcut of St. Jerome is universally acknowledged as one of his masterpieces. St. Jerome, of course, is particularly known for his translation of the Bible into Latin, which formed the basis for the Vulgate Bible that was declared the official Bible of the Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545-1563, a generation after Durer's death).

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Jerome is a figure of the 4th century; interestingly, he is known as "Blessed Jerome" to the Eastern Orthodox Church, rather than the Catholic Church. One of his teachers was Apollinaris of Laodicea, noted opponent of the ancient Arian beliefs that we met in Clue #17; in turn, Apollinaris was condemned as a heretic in ancient Christianity for Docetism, the belief that Christ only appeared to be human. Here we have fertile ground for Dan Brown: conflicting beliefs about the nature of Jesus Christ.

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The Council of Trent, a millenium after Jerome, overlapped with the lives of some people and groups mentioned in the Twitter clues. These include Francis Bacon (Clue #7), Michelangelo and the Spirituali (Clue #19), and the early Illuminati as they exist in Dan Brown's universe (Clue #5).

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Dan Brown has focused before on an important Catholic Church council: the ancient Council of Nicea, which figures prominently in The Da Vinci Code. It would not be surprising for him to do so again, in focusing on the Council of Trent.

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The concerns of the Council of Trent have resonances to some themes that have come up in the Twitter clues. The Council addressed a number of Protestant criticisms, and issued a number of reform decrees, the need for which had been claimed by the Spirituali (Clue #19). The Council helped define the Church's position on Original Sin, which is relevant to the doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary, mother of Jesus (Clue #11).

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Then there is the print itself. In the print, we see one of the most famous of the symbols of 'high degree' Freemasonry: a human skull, which in Masonry is a reminder of mortality, much like the hourglass that we see both here and in Durer's Melancolia I, described in my interpretation of Clue #9.

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Conclusion

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Thus, in Durer's works named in the Twitter clue, on the surface alone we have a reference to an artist whose works are sure to be featured in The Lost Symbol. Scratch the surface, and we have references to other people, groups, ideas, and themes that are likely to appear in the novel, as well.

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Shameless Plug

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In my forthcoming book, Discovering The Lost Symbol, I shall address the artistic and religious themes and figures that Dan Brown's novel focuses upon.

[The black-and-white images above are all from the website of ArtTattler. The color image of the "Adam and Eve" painting was obtained from Wikimedia Commons through Wikipedia. All of the original artwork is in the public domain; images thereof are also all in the public domain, at least in the United States, per Bridgeman vs. Corel.]

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(Copyright 2009 Mark E. Koltko-Rivera. All Rights Reserved.)

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