Satyr sounding a horn.

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.

Satyr sounding a horn is one of three satyr prints by Beham in Te Papa's collection. Satyrs are mythical creatures, half man, half goat, ready for any physical pleasure, especially if it relates to wine, women (bacchantes and nymphs) and, here, song. The rough, natural horn with a conical (as opposed to straight) bore, obviously the horn of an animal, is the ancestor of the modern French horn. Beham crams a considerable amount of visual information into this tiny print and one should not overlook the grape clusters at the satyr’s feet. These allude to the vinous, Bacchic activities in which satyrs would engage at the drop of a hat. Two eager infant satyrs appear to be egging on the adult musician, probably their parent. 

See:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebald_Beham

Dr Mark Stocker     Curator, Historical International Art                         January 2017