Foliate Ornament with an Amorous Couple

Israhel van Meckenem belongs to the second generation of printmakers. Like many of his colleagues, such as Wenzel von Olmütz and the somewhat younger Albrecht Dürer, he was trained as a goldsmith. He brilliantly exploited the new medium’s commercial possibilities and put them to inventive use. He was by far the most prolific engraver of his time and his prints were rapidly disseminated throughout Europe.