Artwork Page for The Offer of Love (or The Ill-Assorted Couple)

Details / Information for The Offer of Love (or The Ill-Assorted Couple)

The Offer of Love (or The Ill-Assorted Couple)

1495–1496

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Culture
Germany, late 15th-early 16th Century
Medium
engraving
Measurements
Sheet: 14.8 x 13.7 cm (5 13/16 x 5 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Leonard C. Hanna Jr. 1934.344
Catalogue raisonné
Meder 77
State
I/III
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

In the late 15th century, moralizing scenes of mismatched lovers were popular subjects for prints. In one variation of the theme, a young woman seduces an unwitting old man in order to steal his money. In Dürer’s version here, however, the male figure willingly reaches into his purse to pay for his younger companion’s affections.
A vertically oriented black ink print depicts a seated couple with light skin tones. On our left, a younger woman in an elaborate headdress looks at a bearded man to her right. He wears a fur-lined robe and reaches for a pouch at his waist. Behind them, a saddled horse stands between trees. To our left, a castle sits on a hill, while a boat floats on water in the distance.

The Offer of Love (or The Ill-Assorted Couple)

1495–1496

Albrecht Dürer

(German, 1471–1528)
Germany, late 15th-early 16th Century

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