Download your free colouring sheet of Albrecht Dürer’s The Monstrous Pig below.

Currently on display in Albrecht Dürer’s Material World, The Monstrous Pig depicts an unusual sow born in Landser, Alsace, in 1496. The conjoined piglet had two bodies, one head, two tongues, four ears and eight legs- six of which touched the ground. It was a newsworthy story at the time, with such births often being interpreted as omens. Dürer is thought to have been inspired to create this depiction of the creature by Sebastian Brandt’s broadsheet detailing the birth of the doomed piglet. The animal did not live long enough to reach adulthood but here Dürer has depicted it as a formidable-looking adult sow, with the castle and town of Landser in the background in minute detail.

This engraving is much smaller than some of Dürer’s other works and astounding for the amount of tiny details the artist included in such a small space.

This piece was hand traced and transformed into a colouring sheet by Steph from our Visitor Team. Download your free copy below.