Allegory on Copulation [verso]

Italian 15th Century

National Gallery of Art

This is a print showing a man and a woman intertwined on the left edge of a long table. The people are partially clothed and pressed tightly against each other, the man holding the woman's bottom, and the woman's legs raised up under the man's arms. The woman has long, flowing hair and what looks like a tiara on her head, and the man's curling hair is tied with a strip of fabric around his head. A curling banner emerges from the edge of the table next to them and curves up the left side of the print. On the right, a creature is stepping up onto the table, using a stool. The creature appears to have the legs and tail of a lion and the body and wings of a bird, but its head and upper torso resemble a large penis. A bell appears to hang from the creature. The material that the print is on is a mottled copper color, with areas of yellow, orange, and dark blue discoloration.