Envy
1593
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1593
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This print shows an old woman with wild hair gnawing on a human heart. Snakes slither from her head, and a dog with bared teeth stands beside her. The image turns the phrase “eating your heart out” into a literal picture of envy. It’s one of fourteen prints that personify human flaws like greed or pride. Matham learned the trade from his stepfather, who ran a busy print workshop in Haarlem. To see how other artists drew human emotions, look up the subject netherlands, 16th century.
