Ornament with Women Fighting

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Master E. S., perhaps the most significant Northern printmaker working prior to Martin Schongauer, popularized this type of ornamental motif, which was widely used as a decorative model for later artists. This particular image depicts five naked women entangled in a mass of vines and leaves, fighting over undergarments to cover their exposed bodies. The comical subject reflects a sort of grotesque humor often found in engravings by Master E. S., especially his Fantastic Alphabet .

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