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The Organ Player and His Wife
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The Organ Player and His Wife

Israhel van Meckenem (German, c. 1440–1503), artist · 1495–1500 · engraving

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

In a cozy, domestic setting, an organ player plays a portative with four registers. His wife operates the two bellows, producing the wind that gives the instrument its sound. The activity of one would be inconceivable and pointless without the other. The music they create together--as well as the faithful dog placed prominently in the foreground--refers to marital harmony.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineThe Organ Player and His Wife, 1495–1500. Israhel van Meckenem (German, c. 1440–1503). Engraving; image: 16.6 x 11 cm (6 9/16 x 4 5/16 in.); sheet: 16.6 x 11 cm (6 9/16 x 4 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Delia E. Holden Fund, 1960.73
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