Peasants' Brawl from "The Peasants' Feast" or "The Twelve Months"
1547
Medium
Engraving; first state of two (Pauli)
Dimensions
sheet: 1 15/16 x 2 7/8 in. (5 x 7.3 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1966
Accession Number
66.529.56
Tags
Art Historical Context
Sebald Beham's *Peasants' B from "The Peasants'" or "The Twelve"* (1547) is a exquisite example of Renaissance printmaking from the German "Little Masters." Beham, a Nuremberg engraver renowned for his intricate small-scale works, captures a chaotic skirmish among rough-hewn peasants wielding spears in this first-state engraving—meaning it's the pristine initial version before any later revisions (as noted by scholar Fritz Pauli). Measuring just 1 15/16 x 2 7/8 inches, its diminutive size belies the astonishing density of fine lines that convey motion, texture, and raw energy. As part of a se...
About the Artist
Sebald Beham · 1500–1550
Sebald Beham (1500–1550), a pioneering German printmaker and painter born in Nuremberg, emerged as one of the most prolific artists of the Northern Renaissance. The elder brother of fellow artist Barthel Beham, he grew up in a milieu steeped in artistic tradition, though details of his early training remain sparsely documented. Recorded as a journeyman painter (Malergeselle) by 1521 and a master w...