Dulle Griet
Posted: 28 Mar 2017 23:23
In 1568, a book of proverbs was published in Antwerp, containing the claim that "One woman makes a din, two women, a lot of trouble, three an annual market, four a quarrel, five an army, and against six, the Devil himself has no weapon"(Roberts). This proverb, especially when considered next to the Bruegel's Dulle Griet reflects a number of the concerns about women existent within the Renaissance population. Categories of human identification were arbititary defined, placing different bodies within a different status depending on by whom and from which angle they were examined. Renaissance art, especially paintings, examined some of these anxieties.
Mad Meg by Pieter Bruegel
So who was Dulle Griet? A familiar figure from Flemish folklore, she is best known as the peasant who led an army of women into hell. It is possible that she shares a connection with "Gret Sauermal", a woman who quarrelled with her husband and had the ability to enter hell and come back unharmed, due to her unpleasant and in-ladylike behaviour.
Pieter Brugel th Elder also captured Meg in his 1562 painting, she can be seen advancing towards the entrance of hell while her female followers pillage a nearby house.
There are, however other fascinating interpretations regarding to Meg's identity, It turns out that "Meg" was in fact a term used to refer to a woman who possessed the undesirable qualities of being quarrelsome or shrewish, and it has also been argued that Brugel was observing on the perceived behaviour of women in the 16th century. It has been noted during this time there were several powerful female monarchs on the thrones of Europe, adding to a general unease caused by religious and social upheavals of the period, women were not, it has been argued, staying in their places, and Meg personified this concern.
So who was Dulle Griet? A familiar figure from Flemish folklore, she is best known as the peasant who led an army of women into hell. It is possible that she shares a connection with "Gret Sauermal", a woman who quarrelled with her husband and had the ability to enter hell and come back unharmed, due to her unpleasant and in-ladylike behaviour.
Pieter Brugel th Elder also captured Meg in his 1562 painting, she can be seen advancing towards the entrance of hell while her female followers pillage a nearby house.
There are, however other fascinating interpretations regarding to Meg's identity, It turns out that "Meg" was in fact a term used to refer to a woman who possessed the undesirable qualities of being quarrelsome or shrewish, and it has also been argued that Brugel was observing on the perceived behaviour of women in the 16th century. It has been noted during this time there were several powerful female monarchs on the thrones of Europe, adding to a general unease caused by religious and social upheavals of the period, women were not, it has been argued, staying in their places, and Meg personified this concern.