Peasants Working the Land Working the land was harsh toil for seventeenth-century peasants, but strong family and community bonds gave life meaning and made survival possible. The rich and colorful clothing of the peasants shown here reflects an idealized vision of the peasants’ material circumstances.

(The Month of March, by the Studio of Pieter de Witte [ca. 1548–1628], [oil on canvas], undated/© Sotheby’s/akg-images)