La fête des tonneliers de Munich [title penciled on verso]

What you are looking at

A large courtyard or plaza surrounded by four-story residential buildings fills the composition. The scene depicts a festival or celebration, with dozens of figures in bright costume distributed across the space. The most striking elements are seven large, woven green structures resembling arches or tunnels, positioned in a loose line through the center of the square. Around and beneath these structures, figures in red and orange clothing—some standing, some moving—create clusters of activity. On the right, women in long skirts of yellow, blue, and green stand among children; on the left, seated musicians with instruments occupy the foreground. The light is even and bright, suggesting daytime. The entire scene has the character of a folk festival or fair, with the green structures as the focal point around which the community has organized itself.

The dancing

The figures vary in their positions and orientations, but most are depicted in standing or walking poses rather than a coordinated dance formation. Those in red and orange clothing appear to be moving through or beneath the green structures with raised arms and bent legs, suggesting jumping, skipping, or celebratory movement. The women and children on the periphery stand as spectators or participants at rest. No closed partnerships or strict frame is evident; the movement appears social and informal rather than choreographed in the ballroom sense. The distribution of figures is loose and crowded rather than organized into lines or sets.

The dance depicted

This depicts a folk festival or community celebration, most likely a German cooper's (barrel-maker's) festival, as the title suggests. The green structures appear to be decorative installations—possibly made of greenery or woven branches—rather than dance formations, yet the joyful movement of figures through and around them indicates that dancing or celebratory jumping is taking place. The style is consistent with German folk or peasant celebrations of the 18th or 19th century, where communities gathered for seasonal festivals. The jumping and skipping movements and the mixed-age participation suggest a folk dance tradition rather than formal ballroom or theatrical dance, though the specific style cannot be determined from the image alone.

How it was made

This is a hand-colored engraving or etching, executed with fine linear detail for architectural and figural outlines and then tinted with watercolor or hand-applied pigment. The print medium allowed for wide distribution and reproduction, making it suited for documenting folk customs and festivals for a broad audience. The hand-coloring—applied after printing—gives the image its bright reds, oranges, yellows, and greens. The precision of the architectural setting and the narrative detail of the composition suggest this was a commercial or documentary print, likely made for popular consumption in German-speaking regions.

About this work

This hand-colored engraving documents a festival gathering in Munich, identified by the penciled title as the coopers' (tonneliers') celebration. The image captures a moment of community celebration centered on large green structures that serve as focal points for jumping, skipping, and informal joyful movement among men, women, and children. Rather than a codified dance style, it records the festive movement and gathering practices of a specific trade guild or regional community, making it a visual document of folk custom and social celebration in historic Germany. The work belongs to a tradition of documentary prints that captured the visual character of regional festivals and celebrations for circulation among educated audiences.

How to look at it

Attend first to the relationship between the figures and the green structures: the jumping, raised-arm movement, and clustering of red-clad figures around and beneath the arches are the key to understanding the event. Notice how the movement is distributed and informal rather than organized into lines or couples. Look at the architecture of the square and the detail of the buildings to understand the civic or residential setting. The presence of musicians on the left and spectators on the right shows how the festival was organized as a social gathering with both performers and observers. The bright colors—the oranges and reds of the dancers against the green structures—suggest the artist's interest in capturing the visual spectacle and joy of the occasion.

The period

This print was likely made in the 18th or early 19th century, when German and European print culture was rich in documentary and satirical images of folk life and regional customs. The engraving tradition allowed artists and publishers to circulate images of festivals, celebrations, and folk practices to a growing audience of educated viewers interested in ethnographic detail. Such prints often served both documentary and entertainment purposes—preserving a record of how different communities celebrated while also offering urban audiences a view of rural or working-class festivity. The bright hand-coloring and narrative detail suggest this was a popular commercial print rather than a rare or elite production.

Where it lives

This print is held in the New York Public Library as part of a collection of prints depicting dance. The penciled title on the verso identifies it as 'La fête des tonneliers de Munich' (The Festival of the Coopers of Munich), suggesting it may have been part of a larger portfolio or series of festival scenes, possibly compiled or annotated by a later collector.

Dance in this work

Questions about this work