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The Embrace

Master MZ German
1503
Not on view
The wiry engraved lines and elongated figures in a skewed setting are characteristic of the idiosyncratic work of Master MZ, who may have been the Munich goldsmith Martin Zasinger (act. 1505-ca. 1555). In this enigmatic depiction a couple embraces in a well-appounted interior; she glances out of the image with an unenthusiastic expression. Are they having an illicit rendezvous? Is a nobleman embracing a courtesan? Was this scene meant to convey a moralizing message to the beholder? The objects in the room--the chandelier in the shape of a woman holding antlers, often a symbol of cuckoldry, and the mirror, frequently denoting vanity--give the viewer only tantalizingly unspecific clues. The artist has left the meaning open to the viewer's interpretation.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Embrace
  • Artist: Master MZ (German, Munich, ca. 1477–1525)
  • Date: 1503
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Gift of Felix M. Warburg and his family, 1941
  • Object Number: 41.1.173
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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The Ball, Master MZ German, Engraving
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The King's Sons Shooting Their Father's Corpse, Master MZ German, Engraving
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The Tournament, Master MZ German, Engraving
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