Alphons Bodenmller studied at the Munich Academy where he won first prize in 1877 for this picture.

This celebratory dance originated in Munich to mark the end of the 1517 plague. It was performed by the local coopers, or barrel-makers, who danced through the streets coaxing the relieved inhabitants out of their homes to join in their merry-making. Today the tradition is continued every seven years during the Carnival celebrations to commemorate the event.