Pyramus and Thisbe

Art Historical Context

In the early 16th century, artist Hans Schäufelein the timeless tragedy of *Pyramus and This* in this delicate woodcut, dated around 1509–10. Drawing from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, the depicts the star-crossed lovers from Babylonian mythology—separated by a city wall, communicating through a chink, and ultimately meeting a fateful end beneath a mulberry tree. Schäufelein, a Nuremberg-based printmaker influenced by Albrecht Dürer, infused the scene with emotional intensity, highlighting themes of forbidden love that resonated in Renaissance Europe. As a woodcut, this print exemplifies Northern Renaissance techniques: Schäufelein carved intricate details into a wooden block, inking the raised surfaces to transfer the design onto paper. Measuring just 9 1/8 × 6 3/16 inches, its compact size made it ideal for broad dissemination, allowing myths like this to reach households beyond elite patrons. Woodcuts were revolutionary for their affordability, bridging classical antiquity with contemporary audiences amid the era's growing interest in humanism. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (acquired via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1924), this work showcases Schäufele's mastery of line and shadow, evoking pathos through the lovers' tender yet doomed embrace. A poignant reminder of love's perils, it invites us to ponder enduring human stories.

About the Artist

Hans Schäufelein · 1480–1540

Hans Schäufelein (c. 1480–c. 1540) was a German painter and graphic artist of the Northern Renaissance whose career placed him at the heart of one of the most dynamic artistic environments in European history. As a young man, he entered the workshop of Albrecht Dürer in Nuremberg, an experience that proved decisive: Dürer's meticulous approach to draughtsmanship, his mastery of printmaking, and hi...