€3,000
An exceptional pair of blue, white and manganese Dutch Delft tile murals depicting 'Hans Worst' and his brother, probably Rotterdam, 18th C.
Dim.: 39 x 26 cm (each mural)
Dim.: 13 x 13 cm (each tile)
Ref.: Jan Pluis, The Dutch Tile, p. 601, E.03.06.02, for a related mural showing an actor, described as from Rotterdam.
Hans Worst is the Dutch version of Hanswurst or Hans Wurst, a popular character from the early 18th C.
The name first appeared in a Middle Low German version of Sebastian Brant's 'Ship of Fools' (1494) (using the name Hans myst). 'Hanswurst' was also a mockery and insult. Martin Luther used it in his 1541 pamphlet Wider Hans Worst (Against Hanswurst), when he railed against the catholic Duke Henry of Brunswick.
In 1712, Joseph Anton Stranitzky developed and popularized the role of Hanswurst.
The theater historian Otto Rommel saw this as the beginning of the so-called Viennese popular theater. Stranitzky's Hanswurst wore the garb of a peasant from Salzburg, with a wide-brimmed hat on.
His humor was often sexual and scatological. The character found numerous imitators.
In 1775, the 26-year-old Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote a farce entitled Hanswurst's Wedding.
Condition reports can be requested by e-mail ([email protected]). They will be made available on our website (www.rm-auctions.com). You will also find high resolution images and additional images on our website. A full list of available condition reports is online here: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/79
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