Interieur van de Oude Kerk te Amsterdam, gezien richting het orgel 1685 - 1726

Daniël Stopendaal made this print of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam sometime between 1690 and 1726. It's an etching, so an image made by cutting lines into a metal plate, inking it, and then pressing it onto paper. This print invites us to consider the public role of art and the politics of imagery in the Dutch Republic. The Dutch Golden Age was a period of unprecedented economic growth and cultural exchange and this church interior reflects the values and social structures of that society. It was a time of great religious change with the rise of Protestantism, and the architecture of churches like this reflected that shift. The Oude Kerk was originally Catholic, but it became a Calvinist church in the late 16th century, and you can see that the ornamentation is relatively modest. By looking at prints like this one, as well as architectural plans, church records, and other historical documents, we can begin to understand how art and architecture reflect the social conditions of their time.