ART 198 - HISTORY OF WORLD CERAMICS

In this painting, "The Peasant's Dance," painted by Pieter Bruegel in 1560 CE, we get a glimpse of daily life during the late Medieval period. Bruegel painted in Antwerp and is best known for his bawdy celebrations of the daily lives of the peasants. This is a detail of the painting in which we see a musician playing a bellows-like instrument, as the local population celebrates a folk festival with much merrymaking, dancing, and drinking. On the table at left we can see several mugs and steins for beer, and the figure at the right is holding a 4 handled drinking cup. Finger marks from the wheel throwing process are clearly visible on the pots, as is their shiny lead glaze. Note the similarity of the forms to those in the last image.

"The Peasant's Dance," by Pieter Bruegel, around 1560 CE, Antwerp