"La extracción de la piedra de la locura" de Jan van Hemessen y el Maestro de Pablo y Barnabás del Museo del PradoHans Sachs, Erasmo y la guerra

  1. Diéguez Rodríguez, Ana
Journal:
Boletín del Museo del Prado

ISSN: 0210-8143

Year of publication: 2014

Volume: 32

Issue: 50

Pages: 110-121

Type: Article

More publications in: Boletín del Museo del Prado

Abstract

This article proposes a new interpretation of "The Extraction of the Stone of Madness" by Jan van Hemessen. The identification of the texts in the foreground of the painting as two poems by Hans Sachs (Nuremberg, 1494-1576) on the subject of "Landsknechts" -German mercenaries who fought on the imperial side during the years of Habsburg rule-, which became popular thanks to the illustrated editions by Erhard Schoen (Nuremberg, c. 1491-1542) provides the starting point for understanding this painting within the social and historical context in which it was produced. As such, it can be seen as a critique of war based on one of Erasmus's adages, "Dulce bellum inexpertis" (war is sweet for those have not experienced it).