Soldier Embracing a Woman

Description

In this image, a couple embraces in a garden. The man’s dress indicates that he is a German mercenary, who were chastised for loose morals in many prints of the period. The twiglike laurel wreath on his head is a mocking emblem of victory in love and war. His partner meets his gaze and guides his hands, wearing long hair, an open bodice, and a hitched-up skirt suggesting sexual availability. Resonating with Edenic and love garden images, the subject likely operated on the edge of decency for its audience.

Provenance

(William H. Schab Gallery, New York, NY), sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (?–1971); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (December 11, 1971–)

Soldier Embracing a Woman

Daniel Hopfer

1505–36

Accession Number

1971.246

Medium

etching

Dimensions

Image: 22 x 15.6 cm (8 11/16 x 6 1/8 in.); Sheet: 24.1 x 17.5 cm (9 1/2 x 6 7/8 in.)

Classification

Print

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Dudley P. Allen Fund