Two Couples and a Fool

About this work

This engraving shows four people in a garden: two men and two women sitting on a low wall. One man holds a scroll, another leans on a staff, and a woman in a loose dress looks down. The figures are drawn with sharp lines and dark shading, giving them a textured, almost rough look. Notice how the artist used tiny parallel lines to build up shadows—this is called cross-hatching. It’s a trick to make flat paper look three-dimensional. Want to see more? Try looking up cross-hatching to see how other artists used it.