The Musicians
1524
Medium
Engraving in black on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 11.7 × 7.5 cm (4 5/8 × 3 in.); Sheet: 11.9 × 7.7 cm (4 11/16 × 3 1/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
50264
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This engraving by Lucas van Leyden illustrates marital harmony by depicting a couple making music together. In this instance the woman plays the dominant role. She sounds a note on a three-stringed rebec (similar to a violin) while her husband tunes his lute, plucking a string and turning a tuning peg. The man has also removed one of his clogs, a sign of submission. The couple appears to be prosperous, as they wear fine, fur-trimmed garments and play musical instruments associated with court cul...
About the Artist
Lucas van Leyden · 1484–1533
Lucas van Leyden (1494–1533) was a Dutch painter and printmaker who stands among the greatest engravers of the Northern Renaissance. Born in Leiden as either Lucas Hugensz or Lucas Jacobsz, he lived and worked primarily in his native city, achieving international renown that rivaled the German master Albrecht Dürer. Lucas van Leyden revolutionized Netherlandish printmaking and was among the first...