Christus aan het kruis Possibly 1550 - 1855

This colour print, Christus aan het kruis, was made by David Du Mortier en Zoon in Leyden. The Crucifixion is one of the most common subjects in the history of European art, but in the context of the 17th-century Netherlands, its meaning is complex. As a Protestant country, the Dutch Republic had officially rejected religious images. Nevertheless, prints such as this one demonstrate that the market for such imagery persisted. This print is a reminder that the social function of art is never simply defined by religious or political doctrine. The image also shows how art is produced in a network of social relations that goes beyond individual creativity. The presence of the words 'Du Mortier en Zoon' reminds us that art in this period was often produced in family workshops, which were an important economic unit in early modern Europe. To understand such images better, we must always look at how the changing structures of artistic production shape not just what is made, but also how images are consumed.