Photograph by Ed Pollard, Hasselblad H4D50 - 2019.

The Embrace

Artist Matthäus Zasinger (German, ca. 1477 - 1525)

CultureGerman

Date1503

MediumEngraving on laid paper

Dimensions6 5/8 × 4 1/4 in. (16.8 × 10.8 cm)

SignedSigned in initials and dated, lower right corner

MarkingsA small shield watermark is visible. Collector marks of W. Meyer (Lugt 1813) and S. Kalman (Lugt 1622b) are visible.

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number2019.22.3

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 203

DescriptionIt shows embracing lovers who seem to be a courtesan and a nobleman, in a typical rich interior decorated by a round convex mirror (a symbol of vanity) and a candelabrum made of antlers surmounting the figure of a woman, known as a lüsterweibchen (perhaps an indication of cuckoldry).