Who painted Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain?

Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain was painted by Carl Wilhelm I Kolbe in 1803.

Where can I see Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain?

Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain is held by Cleveland Museum of Art.

What movement is Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain?

Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain

Carl Wilhelm I Kolbe , 1803

Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain is a print by the Romanticist artist Carl Wilhelm I Kolbe. It dates from 1803 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Accession no.: 2019.243
Credit line: Gift of Virginia Barbato

About this work

Here, the lovers are tiny compared to the towering greenery, as if nature is the real main character.

A young man plays a lyre for a woman sitting beside a stone fountain. Around them, giant leaves and vines twist upward, almost swallowing the scene.

Kolbe loved painting plants so big they feel like a separate world. Here, the lovers are tiny compared to the towering greenery, as if nature is the real main character. The light picks them out, but the leaves steal the show.

If you like this dreamy, overgrown look, check out other works in germany, 19th century.

Overview

Youth Playing a Lyre to a Maiden by a Fountain is a print featuring a young couple beside a fountain, surrounded by oversized vegetation.

Subject & Meaning

The scene depicts a young man playing a lyre for a seated woman, with the couple highlighted by light against the dominant foliage, suggesting nature's primacy over human presence.

Technique & Style

The work showcases Carl Wilhelm Kolbe's innovative approach to depicting vegetation on a monumental scale, blending meticulous botanical detail with a distorted, surreal perspective.

Context

This print exemplifies Kolbe's signature style, which emerged in Germany around 1800, characterized by an emphasis on the mysterious life of untamed natural environments.