Johannes de Doper preekt in de wildernis after 1595

Cornelis Galle I made this engraving, 'Johannes de Doper preekt in de wildernis,' which translates to 'John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness' sometime around the turn of the 17th century. The image depicts a scene from the New Testament, but it also speaks to the religious and political climate of the Dutch Republic at the time. Galle was part of a family of artists and printmakers based in Antwerp, a city that remained under Spanish control and Catholic rule during the Eighty Years' War. Printmaking in the Netherlands was closely tied to the spread of religious ideas and the Reformation. Galle’s print places John the Baptist in a natural setting, emphasizing the direct, personal relationship between the individual and God - a key tenet of Protestantism. To fully understand Galle's work, we can consult period sources and art historical scholarship, examining the production and distribution of prints as a form of social and religious commentary.