De wilden 1520

This engraving, titled ‘De wilden,’ was made by the Monogrammist SC. The ‘Wild Family’ or ‘Hairy Family’ was a popular theme during the 15th and 16th centuries in the Netherlands and Germany. These images are believed to reflect the anxieties of an increasingly urbanized population, imagining how ‘wild’ people might live outside the boundaries of the city and its rules. Note the archer’s classical helmet and the woman’s flowing hair and drapery, all of which contrast with their nakedness and rough forest setting. Are they civilized, or are they savage? These prints were made for a growing art market. Looking at the distribution of prints like this can tell us a great deal about early modern popular culture. Who was buying them, and why? To learn more, look to sources such as tax records, merchants’ inventories, and guild records. The answers tell us much about the social place of art.