Ornamental panel with Two Lovers, ca. 1490 – 1500

About the Work

A trained goldsmith, Israhel van Meckenem may have designed this artfully surface-filling ornament himself, possibly to serve as a model for other artists. Yet such a print would also have presented an opportunity to demonstrate his mastery. The lovers in the midst of the vine (a symbol of fertility) are based on a motif by the Master of the Housebook.