The Embrace

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The Embrace

Artist Master MZ (German, active about 1500)

Date1503

Dimensions6 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (15.9 x 12.1 cm)

MediumEngraving

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineFrederick B. and Kate L. Shoemaker Fund

Object number

1976.140

Not on View

Label TextAlso known as Master MZ, Matthäus Zaisinger is thought to have been a Munich goldsmith and printer. Much of his engraved work is copied after Albrecht Dürer. Indeed, the interior shown here, a typical paneled, late-Gothic room, is quite similar to one produced by Dürer. The Embrace is considered by many scholars to be Zaisinger’s most successful print. The arched windows allow illumination from different directions, creating a complex interplay of light and shadow. A reflection of the couple, via the convex mirror, adds to the visual complexity of the print. Including the date of the print, here shown above the rear window, was also common in the prints of Dürer. The curious chandelier featuring a woman holding antlers was sometimes found in 15th- and 16th-century southern German and Austrian rooms (look for an example in the Museum’s “Swiss Room” upstairs).Exhibition History

Toledo Museum of Art, The Painter Was a Printmaker, June 23-Sept. 9, 1984.

Toledo Museum of Art, Looks Good on Paper: Masterworks and Favorites, Oct. 10, 2014-Jan. 11, 2015.