A Farmer and his Patron, from Hymmelwagen auff dem, wer wol lebt...
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 1/2 × 4 1/16 in. (11.4 × 10.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Anne and Carl Stern Gift, 1959
Accession Number
59.507.157(11)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of early 16th-century Germanmaking, *A Farmer and his Patron* stands out as a gem from the 1517 *Hymmelwagen dem, wer wol lebt...*, a moralistic book likely exploring virtuous living. Attributed to engraver Hans Schäufelein—known for his intricate work influenced by master Albrecht Dürer—side Hans von Leonrodt and Silvan Otmar, tiny woodcut (just 4½ × 4 in.) captures a poignant rural encounter between a sturdy farmer and his well-dressed patron, evoking the social hierarchies of Renaissance Europe. Woodcuts were revolutionary for their time, a relief printing technique w...
About the Artist
Hans Schäufelein|Hans von Leonrodt|Silvan Otmar · 1480–1540
Hans Schäufelein (c. 1480–c. 1540) was a German painter and graphic artist of the Northern Renaissance whose career placed him at the heart of one of the most dynamic artistic environments in European history. As a young man, he entered the workshop of Albrecht Dürer in Nuremberg, an experience that proved decisive: Dürer's meticulous approach to draughtsmanship, his mastery of printmaking, and hi...