Farmers, from Das Bossenbüchlein
ca. 1582
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/16 × 3 3/8 in. (5.9 × 8.5 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1955
Accession Number
55.503.18(8)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving, titled *Farmers, from Das Bossenbüchlein*, was created around 1582 by Mathais Beitler and Stephan Herman. Measuring just over two by three inches, the small print captures men and women engaged in rural life, reflecting the everyday subjects popular in late sixteenth-century European book illustration. As part of a larger volume, it likely served both decorative and instructional purposes, offering viewers glimpses of agricultural work and social roles during a period when printed images were becoming more widely accessible. Engraving was a significant medium at the t...