The Ill-Assorted Couple
c. 1496
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 14.9 × 13.8 cm (5 7/8 × 5 7/16 in.); Sheet: 15 × 13.9 cm (5 15/16 × 5 1/2 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
36748
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The intersection of commerce with the seamy side of love inspired this secular Dürer engraving. The title refers to the difference in age between two would-be lovers, here seated outside in an intentionally isolated spot. In this popular Renaissance genre, lascivious elderly men attempt to grope beautiful courtesans who hold out for a second purse or steal the rest of their conquest’s belongings. Alternately, toothless crones stroke young men who hope to inherit everything on becoming widowers. ...
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 ...