Young Couple with Flute & Cittern

Art Historical Context

**Young Couple with Flute &tern** is a charming etching by Johann Gottlieb Glume a German printmaker active in the 18th centuryca. 1725–78). This intimate scene captures a young man and woman sharing a musical moment, with the flute and cittern—a plucked string instrument akin to a lute—highlighting themes of courtship and domestic harmony. At just 5 7/16 x 4 1/16 inches, the small plate size invites close viewing, evoking the personal, everyday pleasures of Rococo-era leisure. Etching, Glume's chosen medium, involves coating a metal plate with acid-resistant ground, scratching designs into it, and immersing it in acid to etch lines of varying depth. This technique allowed Glume to achieve delicate, expressive lines and subtle textures, ideal for rendering soft fabrics, expressive faces, and the gleam of instruments. As a print, it exemplifies 18th-century reproductive art, making refined genre scenes accessible beyond original paintings. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, thanks to The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this work reflects the cultural vogue for music as a symbol of romance and refinement in Enlightenment Europe. Visitors will appreciate its joyful glimpse into youthful connection through art and melody.