A Fool and a Woman
1520
Medium
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 4 1/16 x 2 7/8 in. (10.3 x 7.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.67.52
Tags
Art Historical Context
**A Fool and a Woman**1520) is a captivating small-scale print by Lucas van Leyden, a leading Dutch artist of the Northern Renaissance. Renowned for his innovative printmaking, van Leyden created this etching and engraving on a modest sheet measuring just 4 1/16 x 2 7/8 inches, making it an exquisite example of intimate artistry designed for collectors. The title suggests a genre scene featuring a fool—often a symbolic figure of folly or mischief—and a woman, reflecting the era's popular motifs drawn from everyday life and moral tales. Van Leyden's technical mastery shines in his combined use...
About the Artist
Lucas van Leyden · 1484–1533
Lucas van Leyden (1494–1533) was a Dutch painter and printmaker who stands among the greatest engravers of the Northern Renaissance. Born in Leiden as either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, he lived and worked primarily in his native city, achieving international renown that rivaled the German master Albrecht Dürer. Lucas van Leyden revolutionized Netherlandish printmaking and was among the first...