Art, literature & history
Ornament with Dance of the Lovers
c. 1490
- Dating
- Approximate date range
- Held at
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Medium
- engraving
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 12.1 x 26.8 cm (4 3/4 x 10 9/16 in.)
- Collection no.
- 1952.532
- Attribution
- By the artist
- Image rights
- CC0 1.0License details
Israhel van Meckenem. Ornament with Dance of the Lovers. The Cleveland Museum of Art. CC0 1.0. Compressed full-frame reproduction.
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art
About this artwork
Ornament with Dance of the Lovers — Israhel van Meckenem. c. 1490.
Medium: engraving. Dimensions: Sheet: 12.1 x 26.8 cm (4 3/4 x 10 9/16 in.).
Collection record: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. Museum connection according to this source; current display unverified.
In this image, the competitive nature of love and sexual desire plays out on treacherously thorned vines that block the young suitors from their ultimate prize, the elegant lady in the center. Given the presence of two musicians, the male suitors may be performing a type of folk dance, known as a Morris dance, which was popular in courtly circles at the time, and which relates, as well, to courtly love poetry performed by troubadours (lyrical poets of the Middle Ages).
Source: official collection record. Metadata selected and normalized by Artline from the source export, accessed 10 September 2026; no museum endorsement. Reproduction rights are separate.
Location checked Sep 10, 2026. This does not indicate whether the work is on display.