The Miller 1470 - 1491

Martin Schongauer made this engraving, "The Miller," sometime in the late fifteenth century. At the time, the printing press was still in its infancy, and artists like Schongauer were quick to recognize the potential of the new medium for disseminating images and ideas. Schongauer was from Colmar, a town in the Holy Roman Empire, which today is in France. Colmar was a hub of trade and commerce, and Schongauer's prints often depict scenes from everyday life, like this one of a miller with his pack animals. The engraving shows the miller as a worker, seemingly caught between the old feudal system, and the emerging capitalist economy. Art historians consult a wide range of sources, including historical documents, social histories, and economic data, to better understand the world in which Schongauer lived and worked. Such research can help us to interpret the meaning and significance of his art. Ultimately, the meaning of art is not fixed or absolute, but rather is contingent on the social and institutional contexts in which it is made and received.