A Young Man Climbing a Hillside Aided by Cupid, from Allegory of the Misuse of Worldly Property
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 21.7 × 16 cm (8 9/16 × 6 5/16 in.); sheet: 22.6 × 17 cm (8 15/16 × 6 3/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268049
Art Historical Context
In the early 17th century, Dutch engraver Willem van Swanburgh crafted *A Young Man Climbing a Hillside Aided by Cup*, a poignant plate from his series *Allegory of theuse of Worldly Property* (1609). This engraving on ivory laid paper captures a moral tale popular in Northern European art: a youthful figure struggles up a steep incline, buoyed by the mischievous Cupid, symbolizing fleeting pleasures and earthly temptations can derail one's path to virtue or true prosperity. Such allegories reflected the era's Protestant emphasis on moral discipline amid the Dutch Republic's rising wealth duri...