Resumen de Der Sinnzusammenhang zwischen wildem Mann und Totenschädel in Albrecht Dürers Paar mit Totenkopfwappen von 1503
The wild man in Albrecht Dürer's 1503 copperplate engraving Paar mit Totenkopfwappen (Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Kunstmuseum des Landes Niedersachsen, Braunschweig, Germany) is not an allegorical figure but represents an identity. This work depicts a complete coat of arms that includes a shield decorated with a skull—the symbol of Death—which is held by a wild man and a well-dressed woman. Contrary to the opinion expressed in the relevant literature, this couple does not have the secondary function of holding Death's coat of arms but forms an integral part of its subject matter. The presence of the skull suggests that the most important event in the couple's life was the confrontation with Death. In particular, the wild man embodies the medieval figure of the outlaw—a man banned from society who is exposed to Death because his legal entity no longer exists.
