The Morris Dancers

Prints and Drawings

n.d.

Israhel van Meckenem the Younger
German, c. 1440/45-1503

The Morris Dance is a folk dance still practiced in England today. Here the roundel shape of Meckenem’s engraving echoes the pattern of the cavorting dancers, as they encircle a young woman holding a ring. The poses are intentionally exaggerated, especially that of the fool at left. The dance, which may have originated in medieval Spain, was a popular court spectacle, as the merry throng of onlookers at the window suggests.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Prints and Drawings

Artist: Israhel van Meckenem, the younger
Title: The Morris Dancers
Place: Germany (Artist's nationality:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Artist's working dates 1465–1503
Medium: Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: Plate/sheet: 17.2 × 17.2 cm (6 13/16 × 6 13/16 in.)
Credit Line: Clarence Buckingham Collection
Reference Number: 1936.174
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/22656/manifest.json

Lehrs IX.512 II/II

Bartsch VI.274.186

Geisberg 383 II/II

Hollstein XXIV.512

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Place

Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.