Johann Adam Klein

Small prints of Italian peasants were popular among foreigners, who delighted in the quaint local costumes. The German printmaker Johann Adam Klein produced many such prints, some of which study the clothing and accessories of a particular profession. The drunken peasant in this etching raises a glass to toast the New Year: “Felicissimo Anno Nuovo!” Klein labels his cask “Est Est Est,” the name of a famous and popular white wine from the Lazio countryside near Rome. Collectors of costume pictures often embellished such prints with watercolor to emphasize the exotic colors of peasant attire.