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Johann Heinrich Ramberg

The Lovers

1799
Pen lithograph in brown on cream wove paper
44.4 × 56.2 cm (17.5 × 22.1 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

Johann Heinrich Ramberg studied history painting with Benjamin West in London from 1781 to 1788, but he found livelier inspiration in the English caricature tradition of William Hogarth and Thomas Rowlandson. On his return to Germany, he made his reputation by designing a classical curtain for a theater in his native Hannover, though he was more successful as a satirist and book illustrator. The Lovers , which is historicizing in its broad scale, slyly adds humor, romance, and a fairy-tale ambiance to Ramberg’s favorite theme: voyeurism. The postcoital pair, snug in their idyllic curtained bower, doze on, oblivious to the arrival of curious family members and pets.

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More by Johann Heinrich Ramberg

Stage Set Design of an Ancient Roman Ruin being Converted into a BarnStage Set Design of an Ancient Roman Ruin being Converted inBearded Man Spying on Lovers Under an ArborBearded Man Spying on Lovers Under an ArborAuction of the CupidsAuction of the CupidsUnobserved Man Spying on Reclining LoversUnobserved Man Spying on Reclining Lovers

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