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 engraving shows a man and a woman dancing outdoors. The man wears a loose, fur-lined coat and holds the woman’s hand, while she has her other arm around his waist. Both are barefoot, and their clothes look simple but detailed. In the background, there’s a small building and some plants. Notice how the artist used lots of fine lines to show texture—like the folds in their clothes and the grass. This was a common way to create depth in engravings. Want to see more? Look up engraving to learn how artists like this made prints.
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
