Master M.Z.
German, active 1500-1550
The Ball
INV-1546
Master M.Z.
German, active 1500-15501500
engravingprint
Date
1500
Medium
Engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet trimmed within platemark: 22 × 31.6 cm (8 11/16 × 12 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection
In a large reception hall, elegantly dressed couples converse and dance to the music played by performers on an upper balcony. The two figures seated at a table are Albrecht IV of Bavaria and his wife Kunigunde of Austria, suggesting that this print depicts a specific festival that took place in Munich in 1500. While the depiction of three-dimensional space in the print is not convincing, the engraver’s attention to the details of the extravagant costumes successfully convey the courtly pageantry of the festive occasion.
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