Public domain
Aura Attempts to Seduce Harlequin
From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
A richly dressed woman (Aura) and Harlequin (a character from the Commedia dell'arte), accompanied by a man holding a cat. According to the four-line poem in the margin (in French and in German) Aura asks Harlequin to take the cat (symbol for the female genitalia), while she chooses the spit (symbol for the male genitalia).
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own descriptionCredit lineAura probeert Harlekijn te verleiden. 1574 - 1637. Crispijn van de Passe (I). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.
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