The artwork titled “Laughing Peasant Woman” is a creation by Albrecht Dürer, a master of the Northern Renaissance, dating back to 1505. This piece is classified within the portrait genre and is part of the collection at the British Museum in London, UK.
The representation in the image shows a woman mid-laugh with a gently curved smile, the creases by her eyes indicating a genuine sentiment. She is wearing what appears to be a headscarf, characteristic of the fashion of peasantries of the time. The detailed line work on the woman’s face and the headscarf demonstrates Dürer’s skill in conveying texture and expression. There is an inscription on the artwork that features the year, “1505”, along with Dürer’s iconic monogram. The woman’s joyful expression is captured with attentive realism, which is a hallmark of Dürer’s work and reflective of the Northern Renaissance’s focus on detailed realism and individual characters.