The Promenade (c. 1497): Art, History and Details

The Promenade (c. 1497) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Balancing an hourglass on his head, Death stalks this fashionable couple strolling in the countryside. When Dürer created this print, figures of Death were moral reminders that life was brief, and they were also associated with the dangers of carnal desire. The improper placement of the man’s sword betrays his dishonorable intentions, while the woman’s bonnet signifies her married status. Their liaison is not innocent, but one of sinful infidelity.

Object facts

• Title: The Promenade
• Date: c. 1497
• Creator attribution: Albrecht Dürer (German, 1471–1528)
• Culture: Germany
• Type: Print
• Technique: engraving
• Dimensions: Image: 19.4 x 12 cm (7 5/8 x 4 3/4 in.)
• Collection: PR - Engraving
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 1953.139

A detail from the museum

As if to reinforce the uncertain status of this couple, Albrecht Dürer portrayed the woman stepping on the hem of her gown.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Cowan, Dana. “Dürer’s Women: Printmaking, feminine authority, and the communication of ideas.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 54, no. 4 (July/August 2014): 10-11.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.