Detail of The Three Ages of Humans by Dosso Dossi in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2020

The Three Ages of Humans


Object Details

Title: The Three Ages of Humans

Artist: Dosso Dossi (Giovanni de Lutero) (Italian, Tramuschio ca. 1486–1541/42 Ferrara)

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 30 1/2 x 44 in. (77.5 x 111.8 cm)

Classification: Paintings

Credit Line: Maria DeWitt Jesup Fund, 1926

Accession Number: 26.83


The three ages of humankind are represented by two boys peeping behind a bush, by two lovers, and by two old men. The primary subject, however, is a pastoral landscape (indeed, the old men were a second thought). In Italy, the genre of landscape painting was inspired by classical literature and intended above all to delight the eye. Dosso’s wit, much prized at the court of Ferrara, is seen in the detail of the goats that appear to spy on the young lovers.


Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436208