Standard Bearer 1526

Sebald Beham made this engraving of a standard bearer on a small scale in sixteenth-century Germany. Beham was one of the “Little Masters,” a group of German printmakers known for their tiny but highly detailed works. The image suggests a commentary on the social structures of the time. The Standard Bearer would have been a mercenary, a common figure during the period of the Reformation when armies of landsknechte roamed central Europe, fighting for pay rather than for any national cause. Beham was exiled from Nuremberg for his radical political views. Was he making a statement on the political turmoils of the time? To understand such images, we often turn to archival research. Court records, guild documents, and pamphlets can reveal much about the cultural and political context of the time. By understanding the institutions that shaped the artist and the market for their work, we can gain insight into the meaning of this artwork as it reflects the complex social forces of its time.