Dispuut over het Heilige Sacrament (rechterdeel) 1617

This engraving by Philippe Thomassin, made around the turn of the 17th century, is part of a larger allegorical print called “Dispute over the Holy Sacrament." It presents a hierarchical vision of the Catholic Church, with the Holy Trinity at the top, saints in the middle, and church fathers below, all united in adoration of the Eucharist. Thomassin was active in Rome, where the papacy was eager to reassert its authority in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The image emphasizes the Church's intellectual and spiritual lineage, invoking tradition to defend Catholic doctrine. Prints like this one circulated widely and helped to shape religious identities. They remind us that art is never neutral; it reflects the concerns and agendas of specific institutions. To understand it fully, we need to consider the social, political, and religious context in which it was made, using historical documents to reconstruct the debates that animated its creation. Ultimately, art helps us understand shifting social and institutional contexts.