CC0 · no rights reserved
The Lovers
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
In this image, a man and woman sit facing one another; the woman casts her eyes down shyly as the man makes a tender touch, an invitation to love. This artist pared down a garden of love to an arbor with a low fence, a vase of flowers, and a basin of water holding a jug of wine and cup. The love displayed in the garden is chaste, as intended. This is apparent by the wine in the water bath, suggesting cooled desire; the carnations in the vase, symbols of virginity; and the woman’s small dog, a sign of fidelity.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineThe Lovers, c. 1490. Wenzel von Olmütz (Bohemian), after Hausbuch Master (German, active 1470–1500). Engraving; image: 16.7 x 10.9 cm (6 9/16 x 4 5/16 in.); sheet: 16.9 x 11.3 cm (6 5/8 x 4 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 2010.262
