Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

Young Couple Threatened by Death (The Promenade)

A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of engraving in black on ivory laid paper.

Date:

c. 1498

Artist:

Albrecht Dürer
German, 1471-1528

About this artwork

The foreboding, corpselike figure of Death with an hourglass appears in many Northern Renaissance prints; in this engraving, he peeks out from behind a tree, holding his hourglass aloft. Each image is a reminder that death strikes the young, the Christian, and the chivalric alike; no one outlasts or avoids death. There is an evident connection between death and sensuality in this image, underlined by the suggestively positioned and sized sword.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Albrecht Dürer

Title

Young Couple Threatened by Death (The Promenade)

Place

Germany (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1498

Medium

Engraving in black on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/sheet: 19.6 × 12 cm (7 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

Reference Number

1956.933

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/4056/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share