Title
The Offer of Love (or the Ill-Assorted Couple), 1495-1496. Creator: Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471-1528).
Caption
The Offer of Love (or the Ill-Assorted Couple), 1495-1496. Dürer?s early engraving of "unequal lovers" plays on a prevalent theme in northern European art in which a young woman seduces a much older man in order to steal his money. Dürer departed from standard representations of the subject and portrayed the male figure in his engraving as a willing participant, paying for the services he?s about to receive. Although scenes of unequal lovers often carry moralizing messages about the dangers of women, the idyllic setting of this image and the seemingly familiar transaction between prostitute and patron suggest a more complex situation beyond simple carnal desire.
Credit line
Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art
Reference
HRM19G13_485
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
License type
Rights managed
Available size
48,0Mb (4,1Mb) / 13,1in x 14,2in / 3936 x 4266 (300dpi)