Koning wordt buiten op een veld gekroond terwijl een menigte een jonge raadsman aanvalt
Medium
paper
Dimensions
154; 95
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Prent voor het eerst gebruikt in: Petrarca, Francesco. Von der Artzney bayder Glück. Augsburg: Heinrich Steiner, 1532.
Art Historical Context
This captivating woodcut print, titledKoning wordt buiten op een veld gekroond terwijl menigte een jonge raman aanvalt* ("A King is Crowned Outdoors on a Field While a Attacks a Young Counselor"), to 1532 and is attributed to the masterful German woodcutter Hans Weiditz II, though listed as anonymous. It debuted as an illustration in Heinrich Steiner's Augsburg edition of Francesco Petr's *Von der Artzney bayder Glück*Remedies for Fortune and Foul), a popular German translation of the Italian poet's moral treatise on navigating prosperity and adversity. At just 95 mm high by 154 mm wide on paper, its intimate scale made it ideal for enriching printed books during the early Renaissance. The dramatic scene captures a pivotal moment of chaos and irony: a monarch receives his crown amid a pastoral field, oblivious or indifferent as a furious mob descends on a youthful advisor. This vivid imagery underscores Petrarch's themes of fleeting fortune, rash judgment, and the perils of counsel in turbulent times, resonating with 16th-century readers amid Europe's religious and political upheavals. Weiditz's precise woodcut technique—carving intricate details into wood blocks for inked impressions—allowed for affordable, widespread dissemination of such philosophical woodcuts. A gem of Augsburg's vibrant print culture, it exemplifies how visual storytelling amplified Petrarch's enduring wisdom for everyday audiences.