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Albrecht Dürer

Lady on Horseback and Landsknecht

c. 1497
Engraving in black on tan laid paper
10.6 × 7.7 cm (4.2 × 3 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This tender image celebrates the unlikely love between a noblewoman and a mercenary. The lady is mounted and wears her lover’s feathered hat, indicating she has the upper hand in the relationship. The soldier’s sword hilt serves as an suggestion of baser desires, but his grip on her elbow is more than matched by her hold on his shoulder. Urs Graf’s nearby woodcut features a Landsknecht with a more typical paramour, a prostitute.

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