Peasants Dancing

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Peasants Dancing

Artist Hans Sebald Beham (German, 1500-1550)

Date1537

DimensionsH: 1 13/16 in. (4.6 cm); W: 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)

MediumEngraving.

ClassificationPrints

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1926.14

Not on View

Label TextSebald Beham is thought to be one of the first printmakers to popularize peasant festival imagery. Beginning with woodcuts as early as 1524, Beham continued to produce images focusing on both religious and secular celebrations throughout the remainder of his artistic career. Perhaps because metal plates allowed for smaller images, the artist switched from woodcuts to engravings around 1537. It is interesting to speculate about the increased attention paid to the peasant class considering that 1524 also marked the beginning of the Peasants’ War in the areas of Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and France. The uprising involved an estimated 300,000 peasant rebels and resulted in the death of over 100,000.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Renaissance Prints: Fable, Faith and Folk, Oct. 16-Dec. 16, 1958.

Toledo Museum of Art, Storytelling in Miniature, October 7, 2011-March 4, 2012.

Toledo Museum of Art, In Motion: Dance and Performance in Art, September 18, 2015- January 3, 2016.