The Cook and His Wife

c. 1496/1497

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

The image shows two individuals, a man and a woman, with their entire bodies depicted from head to toe. The man is standing on the left, with his body slightly turned towards the woman on his right. He is facing slightly towards her with an open mouth. His facial features include a nose, full cheeks, and short, curly hair. He wears a simple, fitted outfit with visible patches and repairs on the knee area of his trousers. He holds a pair of kitchen utensils in his right hand and has a dagger tucked into his belt. The woman stands next to him with her arms folded across her midsection. Her face is turned slightly towards the left with a composed expression. She has delicate features and small lips, with a headscarf tied back. She is dressed in a long gown with layered fabric, wearing an ornate necklace. In the background, there is minimalistic scenery with a blank ground beneath their feet and a flat ground in the distance, emphasizing the two figures.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to plate): 11 × 7.9 cm (4 5/16 × 3 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1945.5.62

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 85


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Wilhelm August Ackermann [1793-1865], Lubeck and Dresden (Lugt 791); Yorck von Wartenburg [1805-1865], Klein Öls, Silesia (Lugt 2669); (Richard H. Zinser, Forest Hills, NY); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1932d), 1945; gift to NGA, 1945.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Selected 15th Century Prints from the Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA, 1965, no. 58.

1970

  • Albrecht Dürer, 1471-1528: A Study Exhibition of Print Connoisseurship, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1970-1971, no. 4A.

1971

  • Dürer in America: His Graphic Work, NGA, 1971, no. 8, repro.

1990

  • Eva/Ave: Woman in Renaissance and Baroque Prints, NGA, 1990, no. 123, repro.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 1: no. 13.

Inscriptions

in plate, bottom center: AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: B.84; verso, bottom right, in graphite by a later hand: 10116b [underlined]

Watermarks

bull's head (Meder 62)

Wikidata ID

Q65018555

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