The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Ornament with Dance of the Lovers
c. 1490
(German, c. 1440–1503)
Sheet: 12.1 x 26.8 cm (4 3/4 x 10 9/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1952.532
Catalogue raisonné: Lehrs IX.457.617
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Ornament prints such as this were often used by other artists and craftsmen as source material for motifs on decorative arts or furniture.Description
In this image, the competitive nature of love and sexual desire plays out on treacherously thorned vines that block the young suitors from their ultimate prize, the elegant lady in the center. Given the presence of two musicians, the male suitors may be performing a type of folk dance, known as a Morris dance, which was popular in courtly circles at thetime, and which relates, as well, to courtly love poetry performed by troubadours (lyrical poets of the Middle Ages).
- ?–1952(William H. Schab Gallery, New York, NY), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OHDecember 26, 1952–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Love Gardens / Forbidden Fruit. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 2-October 29, 2023).Design and Decoration: Ornament Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 7-October 28, 1990).Sacred and Profane in Late Gothic Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 2-August 2, 1987).Prints and Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-September 9, 1965).
- {{cite web|title=Ornament with Dance of the Lovers|url=false|author=Israhel van Meckenem|year=c. 1490|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1952.532