The artwork titled “A School Teacher Explaining the Meaning of a Letter to Illiterate Workers” was crafted by Hans Holbein the Younger in 1516, amid the Northern Renaissance in Germany. Rendered in tempera on a panel, the piece embodies the genre of a miniature with dimensions of 65.5 x 55.5 cm. This culturally significant work resides in the Kunstmuseum Basel, located in Basel, Switzerland.
The artwork captures an intimate educational scene set within a room that bears the characteristics of the period. The central focus is a school teacher positioned to the right, engaged in explaining a letter to two workers who are presumably illiterate, based on the title of the work. One worker, dressed in red, leans forward attentively, his hand placed on the document to follow along, while the second, in blue, appears to be listening intently to the teacher’s explanations.
The interior is depicted with careful attention to detail, evoking the essence of the era with grid-patterned windowpanes that allow soft light to enter the room. An open door on the right provides depth to the composition, and a cupboard built into the wall can be seen as well, indicating a domestic or educational space designed for such scholarly activities. The atmosphere is studious and calm, with a sense of earnest learning being conveyed between the figures.
