Circle of Lucas Cranach the younger, Unequal Lovers, 16th century, Oil on panel 13 ¾” x 17 ½”, Museum purchase, The Class of 1947 Acquisition Fund 2018.24

The Davis Museum recently purchased a 16th-century painting depicting the motif of Unequal Lovers. A popular satirical theme in Northern Europe, the ill-matched couple developed originally in literature and emerged in the visual arts in the 15th century. The majority of examples feature an old man courting a young woman, as seen in the Ill-Matched Lovers by Quentin Massys at the National Gallery of Art, D.C., but this panel flips the trope so that an older, masculine woman courts a younger, effeminate man. In most depictions of unequal lovers money is exchanged, underscoring the impropriety of the relationship and implying the match is monetarily motivated. While marriage in the 16th century was recognized as a tool to distribute wealth, especially from older spouses to younger partners, it was still a belief that couples of a similar age were better suited and more likely a love match. Contemporary audiences would have found this representation of unconventional characters humorous—the foolish man and the dominant woman.