A gentle answer turns away wrath.

Engraving, 15,5 x 21,6 cm (platemarks), laid paper with wide margins, signed in plate "Stalburch / M. Heemsk." (numbered 114 in brown ink on verso).

Very clean copy and good impression.

An early depiction of domestic violence. In an interior a violent man is calmed by the soft words of mercy spoken by his wife. One of their children is running towards the opened door to escape the tantrum. The print is probably a reference to Proverbs 15.1: "A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger". Prints by the Leuven printmaker Jan van Stalburch (active 1555-1562) are a rarity as he only made a few engravings. First and only state.
Ref. New Hollstein (van Heemskerck), 474.