An Ill-matched Pair

The theme of the ill-matched couple enjoys a long tradition in Western culture, above all in the literary world, although it did not appear in the visual arts until the last quarter of the fifteenth century, reaching the heights of its popularity during the first half of the following one, particularly in Germany and Flanders. In this tradition, the woman is presented as a dangerous creature, a source of sin, humiliation, perdition and death. The theme, the origins of which date from the Middle Ages, was subsequently reformulated and led to a host of variations.

This particular version is signed and dated on the back of the panel, although it also features the artist's distinguishing mark beside the girl's arm, a small dragon with its wings pointing upwards. This panel of small dimensions and vertical format depicts the couple alone, in three-quarter length, against a plain background that gives no indication of where the action is taking place: an imprudent old man, thoroughly captivated by female charms, is robbed by a young girl, who has no difficulty in relieving him of his bag. And as she does so, she utters a guffaw of satisfaction. The theme of the ill-matched couple was one of Lucas Cranach's favourites, since it provided him with a vehicle by which to express his moralising slant. In this context it must be remembered that the artist was a friend of Martin Luther's and an interpreter of the new reformist iconography.

[MNAC online database: https://www.museunacional.cat/ca/colleccio/parella-amorosa-desigual/lucas-cranach-el-vell/065012-000; accessed 16.09.2020]