Die Blutprobe (The Test of Blood), from Die Siebenhardenbeliebung series
Hans Grohs
German, 1892–1981
![Die Blutprobe (The Test of Blood), from Die Siebenhardenbeliebung series](https://dlc.services/iiif-img/16/6/17123_1678453650526/full/1024,725/0/default.jpg)
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
Contact the museum for more information
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 Thirty-Eight Before the Battle of Hemmingstedt, 1500 (Achtundrierziger vor der Schlacht bei Hemmingstedt 1500), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series The Thirty-Eight Before the Battle of Hemmingstedt, 1500 (Achtundrierziger vor der Schlacht bei Hemmingstedt 1500), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series](https://highmuseum-redesign.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/datasync/collection-objects/5482_1695835089221.jpg)
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 Struggle on the Heath, 1559 (Der Kampf um Heide 1559), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series The Struggle on the Heath, 1559 (Der Kampf um Heide 1559), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series](https://highmuseum-redesign.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/datasync/collection-objects/5485_1695835101227.jpg)
The Struggle on the Heath, 1559 (Der Kampf um Heide 1559), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series
Hans Grohs
![Admiral Swardscops Dies before Brunsbuttel, 1431 (Admiral Swardscops Tod vor Brunsbüttel 1431), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series Admiral Swardscops Dies before Brunsbuttel, 1431 (Admiral Swardscops Tod vor Brunsbüttel 1431), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series](https://highmuseum-redesign.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/datasync/collection-objects/5486_1695835101227.jpg)
Admiral Swardscops Dies before Brunsbuttel, 1431 (Admiral Swardscops Tod vor Brunsbüttel 1431), 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 The Battle of Oldenwohrden, 1319 (Die Schlacht bei Oldenwöhrden 1319), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series](https://highmuseum-redesign.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/datasync/collection-objects/12241_1695835089221.jpg)
The Battle of Oldenwohrden, 1319 (Die Schlacht bei Oldenwöhrden 1319), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series
Hans Grohs
![The Dithmarschers at the Battle of Bornhoved, 1227 (Die Dithmarscher in der Sclacht bei Bornhöved 1227), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series The Dithmarschers at the Battle of Bornhoved, 1227 (Die Dithmarscher in der Sclacht bei Bornhöved 1227), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series](https://highmuseum-redesign.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/datasync/collection-objects/5487_1695835101227.jpg)
The Dithmarschers at the Battle of Bornhoved, 1227 (Die Dithmarscher in der Sclacht bei Bornhöved 1227), from the Dithmarschen History (Dithmarschen Geschichte) series
Hans Grohs