A princely wedding performed by a bishop
late 16th century
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet (Trimmed): 7 1/4 × 10 1/2 in. (18.4 × 26.7 cm)
Classification
Prints|Prints-Fete|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.601.151
Tags
Art Historical Context
This late 16th-century etching captures a grand princely wedding ceremony conducted by a bishop, reflecting the elaborate social and political alliances that characterized noble life in Renaissance Germany. Created by an anonymous German artist, the print portrays elegantly dressed figures gathered in a formal setting, emphasizing the ceremonial importance of marriage as both a personal union and a public spectacle. Such scenes often served to document and celebrate dynastic events for a wider audience. As an etching, the work highlights the medium’s growing popularity in the 1500s for its ab...