Ill-Matched Lovers (Matsys)

The Ill-Matched Lovers is an oil painting by the early Netherlandish master Quentin Matsys, usually dated between 1520 and 1525. In the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington since 1971, the painting depicts the trope that old age can make one foolish. Matsys depicts this theme by showing an older man besotted by a younger, beautiful woman. He gazes at her adoringly, not noticing that with the aid of an accomplice, she is stealing his purse. The face of the old man was influenced by a drawing done by Leonardo da Vinci, demonstrating Matsys’ skill in combining Northern European themes with Italian elements.

The picture was exhibited at the Exhibition of Flemish Primitives at Bruges in 1902.