305 - Albrecht Dürer (1471 – Nuremberg – 1528), *The Peasant and His Wife*.

Albrecht Dürer (1471 – Nuremberg – 1528), *The Peasant and His Wife*. Engraving on laid paper. (c. 1497). 10.7 x 7.6 cm (sheet). Bartsch 83; Meder 86 c (of f); Schoch/Mende/Scherbaum 14 c (of f). Provenance: Richard Fisher (1809–1890), Hill Top, Midhurst, with his collector’s stamp on the reverse (Lugt 2204). A fine, strong Meder c impression, clearly printed, with thread margins. Dürer created a small group of engravings depicting peasants in closely related formats, whose precise meaning remains open to interpretation. Panofsky and Möller associated these figures with Dürer’s interest in the lives and customs of people outside his own social milieu, whose appearance and behavior may have seemed unfamiliar or curious to an urban audience. At the same time, the peasant’s gestures, clothing, and animated pose have been interpreted within the tradition of satirical prints intended to amuse the urban middle classes. In this respect, Dürer may have returned to a satirical mode already familiar to him from his earlier woodcuts for the *Narrenschiff*. – Verso with a few faint brown spots. The lower corners have been skillfully repaired, with minor retouching; the tips of the upper corners have been restored. Otherwise in good condition. Taxation: subject to regular taxation (VAT: Regular Taxation).