1551
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dancing Couple is a 1551 ink by Heinrich Aldegrever, a Northern Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white engraving shows a man and woman dressed in fancy, old-fashioned clothes. The woman wears a ruffled collar and a long dress with a train, while the man has a cloak draped over his shoulders and holds a walking stick. They’re standing close, almost dancing, with the woman’s hand resting on the man’s arm. The artist used tiny lines to create shadows and texture, giving the clothes a bumpy, detailed look. This is called cross-hatching. Check out how cross-hatching works in other prints next.
Heinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf was a German painter and engraver. He was one of the "Little Masters", the group of German artists making small old master prints in the generation after Albrecht Dürer.
See the richer artist page
