Three Soldiers and a Dog n.d.

Sebald Beham made this miniature engraving of "Three Soldiers and a Dog" in sixteenth-century Germany. The artist’s sharp lines create a detailed image of military figures, their clothing, weapons, and even their dog. During the early 1500s, the Holy Roman Empire was frequently at war. Military service provided opportunities for social mobility. Soldiers are not necessarily aristocratic, but they were associated with honor. Beham, however, was a controversial figure in his native city of Nuremberg. He was part of a circle of artists charged with blasphemy, radicalism, and opposition to the city council. Beham was exiled from Nuremberg and forced to work elsewhere. Here, the soldiers seem disreputable, down on their luck. They have no battlefield and no enemy in sight. Instead, they seem to be lingering in a rural landscape. We can understand Beham’s image as a commentary on the artist’s position in society and his critique of the military values of his time. Further research into the history of Nuremberg might help us to understand this little engraving more fully.