Couple on Horseback – Albrecht Dürer (1496)

A young couple rides out together, in the spirit of a Renaissance romance. A young man in armour and a great plumed helmet rides a white horse, raising a stick as if to urge it on. Behind him, a young woman in a long dress holds him around the waist. A tree frames the scene on the left, and the countryside opens up behind them.

Riding couples were a favourite subject of late medieval and Renaissance art, a picture of courtship and of the pleasures of spring. Dürer treats it with a lively, light line and an eye for the details of costume, armour and harness.

Why it works on your wall

• Elegant and romantic: a charming image for a living room, a bedroom or a hallway
• For lovers of the Renaissance: an early work by Dürer, a fine gift for art and history lovers
• Framing tip: a thin black or natural wood frame and a cream mount suit its fine lines and soft tones

The drawing

Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), the greatest artist of the German Renaissance, made this drawing around 1496, soon after his first journey to Italy and his return to Nuremberg. In those years he was perfecting the line that would make his engravings famous throughout Europe.

• Artist: Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)
• Date: c. 1496
• Technique: drawing with light washes of colour
• Theme: riders, courtship, Renaissance

Your print

• Colours restored from a high-definition scan of the original
• Printed in Europe on thick archival matte paper, FSC certified
• From A4 to A0, plus 40×60, 50×70, 60×90 and 70×100 cm and 12×18 to 27×40 inch sizes, all made for standard frames
• Free shipping, no minimum order. Shipped rolled in a sturdy tube

Pair it with Dürer’s Little Owl, or explore all our Albrecht Dürer prints and engraving prints.