God straft Salomo met onweer 1767

Reinier Vinkeles created this engraving called ‘God straft Salomo met onweer’ - God Punishes Solomon with Thunder – in the Netherlands, most likely in the late eighteenth century. It shows a dramatic scene taken from the Hebrew Bible, in which King Solomon is punished for his idolatry by a furious God. The image creates meaning by using familiar visual codes, such as the lightning bolts, and historical associations, such as the classical architecture and the naked statues. The Dutch Republic was at this time a deeply religious society, but it was also a major center for the printing and dissemination of books and images. It is fair to assume that this image was intended to reinforce traditional values and beliefs. But to understand it better, we need to research the institutions and social contexts in which it was made and consumed. The role of the historian is to bring these details into focus. This reminds us that the meaning of art is never fixed, but always contingent on social and institutional context.