Fine small engraving of two elegantly-dressed Renaissance musicians playing flute and large side drum

Germany, 1543. 60 x 44 mm (2- 5/16" x 1-11/16"). On laid paper. With date "1543" printed above artist's monogram "MT" at upper left corner and number "I" printed to upper right corner. A very good impression with thread margins. Holstein 14 (this state only).

The present engraving belongs to a series depicting dancers and musicians at a wedding. Little is known about the artist except that he belongs to the second generation of "Little Masters," German artists who produced small engravings. He followed in the footsteps of Sebald Beham (1500-1550) and Georg Penz (ca. 1500-1550), two important German printmakers in the generation after Dürer, and his work bears a distinct similarity to that of Heinrich Aldegrever (1502-[?]1555).