Lute Player and Harpist, from Scenes of Daily Life
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 6 5/16 x 4 5/16 in. (16 x 10.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1927
Accession Number
27.5.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Israhel van Meckenem a prolific 15th-century German engraver active around 1470–1500, captures the charm of everyday musical moments in *Lute Player and Harp, from Scenes of Daily*. This intimate engraving, measuring just 6 5/16 x 4 5/16 inches, depicts a man deftly playing a lute while a woman accompanies him on a harp—common instruments in late medieval households symbolizing harmony, courtship, and leisure. As part of a broader series on daily life, it reflects the Northern Renaissance fascination with ordinary people and activities, blending realism with subtle narrative charm. Meckenem's...
About the Artist
Israhel van Meckenem · 1435–1503
Israhel van Meckenem (c. 1445–1503), also known as Israhel van Meckenem the Younger, was a pioneering German engraver and goldsmith based in Bocholt, near the Dutch border, renowned as the most prolific printmaker of the fifteenth century. Born into a family possibly of Dutch origin, he was the son of Israhel van Meckenem the Elder, a goldsmith who settled in Bocholt in 1457. He trained initially ...