The Ill-Assorted Couple

Prints about the pitfalls of unequal love commonly depicted an older man ensnared by a coquettish young woman. Her cleavage in full view, this pretty mercenary reaches her hand out for payment before she will even glance at her companion. In reality, wars, brawls, and monasticism had depleted the male population in Albrecht Dürer's day, prompting fears that women would target older men with their wiles.