A Gentleman, a Young Woman, and a Dog

Michele da Verona

Not on view

The meaning of the scene is mysterious, and its interpretation is made more difficult by damage at the point where the hands of the man and woman meet to exchange an object. She is apparently a gardener—the long tool she holds was used for digging up bulbs—but her relationship to the gentleman is unclear. The drawing may represent an allegorical scene of courtly love, suggested by the dog, a symbol of fidelity. The costume of the male figure is French in style and recalls northern European tapestries and manuscript illuminations.

A Gentleman, a Young Woman, and a Dog, Michele da Verona (Italian, Verona ca. 1470–Verona 1536/1544) (?), Brush and gray and brown ink, heightened with white, on light brown paper.

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