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Overview
Sebald Beham (popularly called Hans Sebald Beham) (1500-1550) was a prolific early Renaissance German printmaker. Born in Nuremberg and therefore a fellow citizen of Albrecht Dürer, he spent the second half of his career in Frankfurt. He was one of the most important of the so-called 'Little Masters' (Henrich Aldegrever was another), the group of German printmakers initially inspired by Dürer, who continued to flourish into the mid-16th century. The intimate scale of their works, rather than these impressive artists being overshadowed by the brilliant Dürer, explains their name.
Beham produced approximately 252 engravings, 18 etchings and 1500 woodcuts, including woodcut book illustrations. He worked extensively on tiny, highly detailed, engravings, many as small as postage stamps, which he printed and published himself, while his much larger woodcuts were mostly commissioned work. The engravings found a ready market among German collectors. He also made prints for use as playing cards and wallpaper. His engravings cover a range of subjects, but he is especially known for scenes of peasant life, and scenes from classical myths or history, both often with an erotic element.
This engraving is part (no. 2) of a series of seven architectural prints by Beham. Based in part on illustrations from architectural theorist Lorenzo Cesariano’s 1521 Italian edition of the ancient Roman Vitruvius's treatise De Architectura, these engravings are prominently titled 'Vitruvius' and described in both Latin and German as being of the Doric Order, despite their heavily decorated capitals. Published only a year after the first German edition of Serlio’s treatise, the prints of Beham are a testament to both the spread of Italian architectural culture north of the Alps and the enduring appeal of Cesariano’s earlier, highly ornamented prints.
Dr Mark Stocker Curator, Historical International Art February 2017