The Banished Lovers

Desolation and misery are the bitter fate reserved for unmarried lovers. Rosette and Galant have been abandoned on a deserted island by her brother and the rest of the travelling party because of her pregnancy out of wedlock. The couple’s illegitimate child is being buried under a tree in the background. This print is an illustration to Jacob Cats’ Houwelyck (Marriage), published in 1625.