Man van Smarten c. 1581 - 1645

This is "Man of Sorrows," an engraving made by Karel van Mallery, a Flemish artist, sometime between the late 16th and mid-17th centuries. It is a depiction of Christ crowned with thorns, his wounded hands and torso displayed for the viewer. The image is a potent example of Counter-Reformation art, produced in a time of religious conflict. Following the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church used art as a tool to reaffirm its doctrines and inspire religious fervor. "Man of Sorrows" emphasizes Christ's suffering and sacrifice, visually reinforcing the importance of his Passion in Catholic theology. This type of imagery was particularly popular in the Spanish Netherlands, where the Catholic Church sought to combat the spread of Protestantism. To understand this work better, we might research the history of religious art during the Counter-Reformation or study the theological debates of the time. Art history demonstrates that the meaning of art is always bound up with its social and institutional context.