A Peasant Woman Carrying a Jug

Hans Sebald Beham concentrated on this woman's costume, stance, and the tools that she carries, rather than individual facial features. In fact, the hood that covers her forehead, neck, and chin almost completely obscures her face. The shape of the cloak that covers her humped back, rendered with a few well-chosen lines, echoes the curved shape of her jug. The doubled lines around the jug emphasize the movement conveyed by her bent left leg and her pointing fingers. Beham produced numerous works that included peasants going about their daily activities. This picture of a woman carrying a jug and its pair showing a young peasant holding a jar were probably once on the same sheet of paper. Instead of being made for a specific print, both images may have been part of a fund of stock types that Beham used in different combinations and poses in his numerous engravings and woodcuts of the poor.