The Morris Dancers

The Morris Dance is a folk dance still practiced in England today. Here the roundel shape of Meckenem’s engraving echoes the pattern of the cavorting dancers, as they encircle a young woman holding a ring. The poses are intentionally exaggerated, especially that of the fool at left. The dance, which may have originated in medieval Spain, was a popular court spectacle, as the merry throng of onlookers at the window suggests.