Art Institute of Chicago
The Ill-Assorted Couple
Albrecht Dürer
- Date
- c. 1496
- Medium
- Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
- Culture
- Germany
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
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. Love is on offer to the highest bidder in a mercenary transaction that is anything but courtly.
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