The Weather Peasant "Das Schadet Nit"
c. 1542
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 4.4 × 2.8 cm (1 3/4 × 1 1/8 in.); Sheet: 4.5 × 2.9 cm (1 13/16 × 1 3/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
108589
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection, where you'll find *The Weather Peasant "Das Schadet Nit"* (c. 1542), a delicate engraving by Hans Sebald Beham. This tiny gem, measuring just 4.4 × 2.8 cm, captures a rugged peasant enduring harsh weather, shrugging off the elements with the Bavarian proverb "Das schadet nit" ("That doesn't hurt"). Beham, a Nuremberg artist and one of the "Little Masters" of the German Renaissance, specialized in such intimate, detailed scenes of everyday life. Engraved in black ink on ivory laid paper, the work showcases Beham's master...
About the Artist
Hans Sebald Beham · 1500–1550
Sebald Beham (1500-1550), often called Hans Sebald Beham, was a German painter and printmaker born in Nuremberg. He stands as the most important figure among the Kleinmeister (Little Masters), a group of German artists who created remarkably detailed prints on a diminutive scale in the generation following Albrecht Dürer. Beham's significance lies in his technical virtuosity and unprecedented pro...