Allegory of Art
Joachim Lüchteke German
Carefully signed by the artist with the place and date of execution, this drawing was likely made as an entry in an album amicorum, or friendship album—a collection of drawn and written tributes to an individual patron or associate. The nude woman holding the brushes, palette, mahlstick, and coat of arms of the Guild of Saint Luke is an unmistakable personification of the art of painting. The meaning of the devil breathing fire on her leg is less obvious, but it may allude to the idea that art itself can be a dangerous temptation.
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