The Promenade (B. 94; M., Holl. 83; S.M.S. 19)

Details

Albrecht Dürer
The Promenade
(B. 94; M., Holl. 83; S.M.S. 19)
engraving, circa 1498, watermark Gothic P (M. 322), a fine, rich Meder I a-b impression, with traces of burr and a light plate tone, trimmed to or on the platemark, generally in good condition
P., S. 7¾ x 4¾ in. (196 x 121 mm.)

Provenance

Pierre Mariette (1634-1716), Paris (L. 1789), dated 1669.
Norbert Handwerk (born 1909), Munich and Switzerland, with his paraphe in pencil verso; Christie's, New York, Engravings, Etchings and
Drypoints by Albrecht Dürer from a Private Swiss Collection, 19
November 1986, lot 517 (US$13,200).

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Lot Essay

Dürer's prints are replete with symbols. The vigorous, quick-growing plant at the left represents lust and desire, as does the sword, which Dürer places rather unambiguously between the young man's legs. The gallant is walking with his beloved - a married woman - in the countryside. Both are oblivious to Death, who lurks behind a tree in the background, holding an hourglass above his head. This is a modern, moralized version of the early 15th century theme of the Garden of Love, a memento mori and a warning against adultery. However, the moralizing tone is tinged with sadness that their love and beauty will not last.

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