Dansend boerenpaar 1537

Sebald Beham made this tiny engraving of a dancing peasant couple sometime in the first half of the 16th century. While it's called 'dancing', the figures seem a bit stiff, don't they? And it's worth noting that this image was made in Germany, during the Reformation, a time when the Catholic Church's authority was being questioned. Beham was part of a group of artists in Nuremberg who challenged existing social norms. Engravings like this were easily reproduced and widely distributed. So, this image could be seen as a commentary on the social structures of the time, perhaps even a critique of the traditional image of marriage or the rigid social hierarchy. As historians, we can delve deeper into the context of this work by researching the social and religious climate of 16th-century Germany, Beham's involvement with radical artistic circles, and the symbolism of peasant life in art of the period.