Die Blutprobe (The Test of Blood), from Die Siebenhardenbeliebung series
Hans Grohs
German, 1892–1981

Details
Title
Die Blutprobe (The Test of Blood), from Die Siebenhardenbeliebung series
Artist/Maker
Hans Grohs (German, 1892–1981)
Date
1922
Medium
Woodcut print
Dimensions
11 3/4 x 16 5/16 inches
Credit
Gift of Nelson Brackin
Accession #
2005.332.2
On View
Currently not on view
The Test of Blood Based on the common belief that the body of a victim would spontaneously bleed in the presence of its murderer, the test of blood was used in German law until the middle of the eighteenth century as a method to prove guilt. Grohs illustrates this principle of law as a narrative moment. On a rocky beach with the sea and ships in the distance, four figures enact the crucial test. The corpse’s ungainly position is a measure of the violence perpetrated, while the accused murderer’s rigid bodily resistance already confirms his guilt.
More from this Artist

The Last Feud (Die Letzte Fehde), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series
Hans Grohs

The Thirty-Eight Before the Battle of Hemmingstedt, 1500 (Achtundrierziger vor der Schlacht bei Hemmingstedt 1500), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series
Hans Grohs

The Battle of Oldenwohrden, 1319 (Die Schlacht bei Oldenwöhrden 1319), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series
Hans Grohs

Noblewomen Look for their Men Slain in the Battle at Hamme, 1404 (Edelfrauen Suchen ihre Erschlagenen Männer Schlacht in der Hamme 1404), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series
Hans Grohs