Maart before 1566

Etienne Delaune produced this print of ‘Maart’ in France sometime in the 16th century. It’s an engraving, a medium that allowed for the relatively easy distribution of images and ideas. Here, agricultural labor is presented within a frame adorned with classical motifs. The image shows men tending to the land, while in the background a village burns, perhaps a comment on the disruption of rural life by war or social unrest. Delaune was working during a time of great religious and political conflict in France. The presence of military figures and weaponry in the decorative border suggests the ever-present impact of these conflicts on daily life. To understand this print more fully, we might look to agricultural manuals and military histories of the period. What can these sources tell us about the relationship between the idealized vision of rural life presented here and the realities of 16th-century France? By considering the social conditions that shape artistic production, we can gain a deeper appreciation of the ways in which art reflects and comments on its own time.