Vaandeldrager 1526

Sebald Beham made this tiny print of a standard bearer sometime in the 1500s. It's rendered in ink on paper using the intaglio process. This means the artist would have used a tool called a burin to cut lines into a copper plate, which was then inked, wiped, and pressed onto paper. The figure is powerfully rendered in the limited space; you can almost feel the weight of his armor. It’s no accident that printmaking emerged alongside the rise of capitalism. This process allowed images and ideas to circulate widely, a real democratizing force. Prints like this one were relatively inexpensive, making them accessible to a broad audience. Beham was one of the “Little Masters,” German printmakers known for their small scale and intricate detail. The sheer labor involved in such a detailed work, carved line by line, is remarkable. It serves as a reminder that even the most seemingly "minor" art forms can carry significant social and cultural weight.