Rocznik Historii Sztuki (39.2014)

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MAŁGORZATA ŁAZICKA

SEBALD BEHAM’S PEASANT DANCES IN HISTORICAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

Abstract

The German so-called Little Masters (Kleinmeister) were painter-engravers, active in the first half of the 16th century. They did
not form any group or belong to any school, but were direct continuators of Albrecht Diirer’s printmaking. Depending on the author,
the term Little Masters has been applied to various artists from this generation, the most significant ones being the three artists from
Nuremberg: (Hans) Sebald (1500-1550), Barthel (1502-1540) Beham and Georg Pencz (ca. 1500-1550), as well as Albrecht Altdorfer
(1480-1538) and Heinrich Aldegrever (1502-ca. 1555), and the lesser known Hans Brosamer (ca. 1490-1552), Jacob Binek (1494/1500-
after 1569) and an anonymous Master IB.

The article focuses on Sebald Beham whose biography and works have been repeatedly studied in German and English literaturę,
but only mentioned in Polish publications. As far as his education is concemed, it is possible, but not documented, that he was trained
by his brother Barthel and subseąuently by Dtirer. His life has often been regarded as a rebellious one due to his troubles with the
authorities; firstly, when he confessed, together with his brother and Georg Pencz, his disbelief in the holy sacraments and his disrespect
for the town council, and secondly, when his book on the proportions of the horse was published before Diirer’s Art of Measurement.
In the first case, he was jailed and expelled from Nuremberg for just under a year, whereas after the second scandal he left the city
for few months.

This prolific artisfs oeuvre encompasses about 250 copperplates, 18 etchings and over 1500 woodcuts, including book illustrations.
He was the author of simple and smali woodcuts, extremely detailed miniaturę works in metal created with thin and delicate lines,
as well as large woodcuts used as wallpapers. Moreover, the subjects of his prints were varied: Biblical (mostly the Old Testament),
mythological, historical (ancient history in particular) and genre scenes (mainly peasants), images of saints, portraits, allegorical repre-
sentations, coats of arms, decorative and omamental motifs.

My paper deals with BehanTs prints depicting peasant dances and festivals, especially the three series of engravings created in
Frankfurt am Main between 1535-1540: Peasant Festival (1537), Peasant Wedding Procession (ca. 1538-1540) and Peasant Festival
or The Twelve Months (1546-1547).

Although it was Diirer who introduced this genre motif into the graphic arts and inspired his followers, the creation and deve-
lopment of this specific type of representation is ascribed to the Beham brothers. Sebald’s large woodcuts and miniaturę engravings
depicted the villagers’ customs in different ways; taking the audience’s needs into consideration, he developed, changed and re-edited
this motif in his prints till the second half of the 16th century, when it began to function as a separate subject.

The development of the peasant motif in graphic arts at that time resulted from several factors. First of all, it occurred during
a period of interest in the way of life and feasts of this social group. Studies on the past and the first attempts to create a national
identity provide an explanation for this fascination, as does the changing atmosphere of Nuremberg secondary to social and religious
transformations. The new Futheran doctrine condemned church holidays as being morę secular than religious in character. Kermis, the
most popular festival, which celebrated a church’s anniversary or its saint’s day, was often an occasion that provoked numerous sins:
blasphemy, drunkenness, anger, lust or adultery, as well as quarrels, brawls and even murders. As a result, the aforementioned feasting
became a worrying issue for the town council, which gradually began to cancel some of the festivals; the authorities tried to make both
the upper and lower classes aware of the destructive effects of village holidays. Taking the moralistic and didactic character of BehanTs
graphic works into consideration, one can assume that the artist expressed recognition as well as critiąue of this kind of feast. Fast but
not least, the Peasants’ War also accounted for rising interest in rural life, although it cannot be regarded as a key factor.

While most researchers have tried to find only one right interpretation as far as both large woodcuts and the series of miniaturę
engravings depicting peasants are concemed, it seems to me that one should study these works in a wider context, taking their varied
contents, symbols and meanings into consideration. These do not have to exclude one another; on the contrary, they can complete each
other and help us to understand BehanTs prints better in their historical, social and cultural context. Such an approach gives rise to new
possibilities of interpretation.