Eine junge Witwe (A Young Widow) hardly needs any explaining. The gravestone reads ‘Hier ruht mein lieben Mann’ (‘Here lies my dear husband’), and after experiments with self-pleasuring, the consoling priest and the dog, she needs to choose which of the husband-replacements will offer the most gratification. A simple story, very simply told.

We are very grateful to Hans-Jürgen Döpp for these images; Hans-Jürgen, the compiler of many books on erotic art, curates the Venusberg online gallery and bookshop which you can find here.