Wapenschild met kerkelijke attributen en wapentuig 1722

This is an engraving by Bernard Picart, made sometime between 1683 and 1733. It juxtaposes symbols of religious authority with military weaponry. In the center is an ornamental shield emblazoned with a cross. To the left, we see a liturgical book opened to a page of musical notations, and to the right, a suit of armor and cannon. The visual tension between spiritual and military power speaks to the complex relationship between the church and the state during this period. Picart, who eventually rejected Catholicism for a life of secular humanism, used his art to question religious and political dogma. In Wapenschild met kerkelijke attributen en wapentuig, Picart invites us to reflect on the values that underpin society, and perhaps to consider whether the supposed divide between sacred and secular is as clear as we might believe.