The Ill-Assorted Couple
ca. 1495
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 5 7/8 x 5 7/16 in. (14.9 x 13.8 cm) trimmed to plate line
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1919
Accession Number
19.73.105
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Dürer's *The Ill-Assorted Couple (ca. 1495) is a masterful early engraving captures a moment of wry social commentary. Created when Dürer was in his mid-20s, during his formative years in Nuremberg, this print (roughly 6 x 5 inches) depicts mismatched pair—a leering older man and a stylish young woman astride a horse—evoking proverbs about folly in love and unlikely pairings. As a cornerstone of the Northern Renaissance, Dürer's work bridged Gothic traditions with emerging Italian influences, blending meticulous detail with moralistic wit. Dürer's genius shines in his engraving techn...
About the Artist
Albrecht Dürer · 1471–1528
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) stands as the preeminent figure of the Northern Renaissance and arguably the most influential artist in the history of printmaking. Born in Nuremberg on May 21, 1471, and dying in the same city on April 6, 1528, Dürer revolutionized the status of the artist in Northern Europe, transforming printmaking from a commercial craft into an independent fine art and establishing ...