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Lucas van Leyden

The Musicians

1524
engraving

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In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of July 2026

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FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

A man tunes a lute with great concentration, plucking a single string with one hand and turning the tuning peg with the other. Close by, a woman bows a three-stringed rebec--an instrument tuned in fifths like a violin, usually used to play dance music. The costly braiding decorating the man’s coat, and his tight-fitting stockings and pointed wooden sandals suggest the clothing of the courtly class at end of the 15th century. The engraving has been interpreted as depicting marital harmony and longstanding fidelity.

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