I found this article below on Linkedin today and having just reviewed this piece of art for my writings, I thought I would give you all an example of how academia takes a very specific Dürer composition made for a very specific purpose and improperly utilized it to demonstrate some agenda they wanted to write about. It IS NOT about corporal punishment in school in any way shape or form.

The original broadsheet had moralizing verses written by Dürer himself. His monogram appeared at the end of the verses, which obviously has been cut off from this example. Dürer casts himself as the Teacher to children on the surface, but it is probably a subversive message to the Nuremberg City Council connected with events that occurred in 1510.

The records of the proceedings of the Council reveal that Dürer’s younger brother Hans (who really was always getting into trouble), had been a victim of stabbing on one night in June 1510. The Council passed a resolution on June 18, 1510 that “Albrecht Dürer and his brothers are to keep peace with Christoff Kress and his servant and the matter is herewith settled.”

What Dürer wrote was this:

Whoever wants to be granted grace
shall beg the Lord for it while still on earth
1510
Whoever will not sway from these teachings
will be light of heart, spirit, and mood.
And will at all times be at peace with
himself and everyone else.
Do not tell anyone your innermost thoughts,
it will lead to sorrow and remorse,
for it is written:
Few men will always remain steadfast,
because man’s mood is subject to change.
If you desire peace, then heed my advice
and diligently avoid slander…….

There is absolutely nothing in the facts that points to classroom beatings or corporal punishment and it’s really an extreme example of how academicians distort the truth.

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Medieval origins of debate on classroom beatings

A schoolmaster wields his ferula as a mark of authority – Albrecht Durer’s woodcut for the ballad Wer recht bescheyden wol warden, 1510. Credit: British Museum.

Research by University of Leicester medieval expert Dr Ben Parsons reveals the historical discussions surrounding corporal punishment – which are echoed in debates today.

The connection between formal education and corporal punishment is a venerable and persistent one. Although the UK abolished corporal punishment in state-run schools in 1987, the issue lingers on even now – with some still insisting schools would benefit from a return to ‘the rule of the rod’.