Het Onzevader 1693 - 1756

This is "Het Onzevader," or "The Lord's Prayer" in Dutch, by Pieter Langendijk, made sometime before 1756. Langendijk, living in the Dutch Golden Age, straddled the line between commerce and art; he was a silk merchant and a playwright. Think about how the act of writing out a prayer transforms it into a personal meditation. Langendijk's elegant calligraphy underscores the reverence and solemnity of the prayer, but also embodies the intimate connection between the writer and the divine. In a society deeply shaped by religious belief, the act of transcribing a prayer speaks to the period's cultural values and individual spirituality. "The Lord's Prayer" becomes a reflection of Langendijk's identity, shaped by faith and personal conviction, but also by the social and cultural norms of his time. It serves as a reminder of the powerful role that faith plays in shaping individual and collective identities.