Hans Sebald Beham facts for kids
Hans Sebald Beham (born 1500, died 1550) was a German artist. He was best known for making prints, especially engravings. He also designed woodcuts, painted, and created tiny detailed pictures. Beham was one of the "Little Masters," a group of German artists who made prints after the famous Albrecht Dürer.
Life of Hans Sebald Beham
Beham was born in Nuremberg in 1500. He came from a family of artists. In 1525, he and his brother were sent away from Nuremberg. This happened because people thought they did not agree with the Church's ideas. They were allowed to come back after three months.
However, Beham was sent away again in 1528. This time, it was for publishing a book. The book had parts copied from a manuscript by Albrecht Dürer that had not been published yet.
From 1532, Beham lived mostly in Frankfurt. He stayed there until he died in 1550.
Most people know him as "Sebald Beham." But he used different signatures on his art. Before 1532, he signed some prints with "HSP." After he moved to Frankfurt, he signed his prints with "HSB."
Artworks and Style
Beham created many pieces of art. He made about 252 engravings, 18 etchings, and 1500 woodcuts. He often worked on very small, detailed engravings. Some of these were as tiny as a postage stamp. Because his works were so small, he became part of the German printmaking group called the "Little Masters."
He made and sold his own artworks. But his larger pieces were usually special orders that were meant to be sold.
Beham also made prints for other uses. These included cards, wallpaper, and coats of arms. He also designed patterns for other artists and for stained or painted glass. He even painted a table top for Cardinal Albrecht, the Archbishop of Mainz. This table top is now in the Louvre museum.
Beham often engraved pictures of peasants. He also drew scenes from myths or history. He worked at the same time as Dürer, who was very famous. Because of this, one of Beham's early woodcuts, "Head of Christ," was at first thought to be made by Dürer. Beham also worked with his brother Barthel. They shared ideas with each other. Later, Beham re-drew some of Dürer's works, like Dürer's "Melancholia" from 1539.
Books by Beham
Beham wrote books about art. After he was sent away for publishing a book about drawing horses, he wrote another book. This book was about how to draw the human body.
His book was a simpler version of Dürer's own books. But Beham's book was easier to use and cost less money than Dürer's. Because of this, many artists preferred to buy Beham's book.
Images for kids
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One of a set on the Prodigal Son, 1538
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A Mask on an Escutcheon Supported by Two Genii, 1544
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Peasant couples representing the months, from a set, 1545
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Illustration from Das Kunst vnd Lere Büchlin, 1567
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See also
In Spanish: Hans Sebald Beham para niños
