A Young Woman between a Young Man and an Old Man, from Unequal Lovers
c. 1610
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 12 × 13.9 cm (4 3/4 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
268222
Art Historical Context
In the early 17th century, Dutch artist Jacques de Gheyn II *A Young Woman between a Man and an Old Man a delicate engraving from his series *Unequal Lovers Created around 1610, this intimate print measures just 12 × 13.9 cm and exemplifies Gheyn's mastery during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of burgeoning artistic innovation amid the Eighty Years' War. Gheyn, influenced by Mannerism and early Baroque styles, was renowned for his intricate drawings and prints that blended elegance with subtle moral commentary. The artwork captures a timeless trope: a poised young woman flanked by a suitor he...
About the Artist
Jacques de Gheyn, II · 1565–1629
Jacques de Gheyn II (1565–1629) was born in Antwerp into an artistic family, receiving his earliest instruction from his father, Jacob de Gheyn I, a skilled glass painter, engraver, and draftsman. In 1585, the young de Gheyn moved to Haarlem, where he spent five formative years studying under Hendrik Goltzius, one of the most celebrated engravers of the Northern Renaissance. This apprenticeship pr...