The Triumph of Love, plate one from The Triumphs of Petrarch

Description

The German painter and printmaker Georg Pencz is known as one of the Little Masters (Kleinmeister), along with brothers Barthel and Sebald Beham. These artists were active in Nuremberg, where they likely worked for Albrecht Dürer. They produced jewellike engravings on a small scale. Although still modestly sized, these six Triumphs are some of Pencz’s largest engravings. He traveled throughout Italy around 1539, where he found inspiration in the celebrated 14th-century Triumphs by the poet Petrarch: Love is at first victorious, but Chastity conquers; Fame defeats Chastity, then Time ends Fame’s rule; next, Death stops Time. Finally, Eternity triumphs over Death.

The Triumph of Love, plate one from The Triumphs of Petrarch

Georg Pencz

c. 1539

Accession Number

77862

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Plate/sheet: 14.3 × 20.8 cm (5 11/16 × 8 1/4 in.)

Classification

engraving

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer