Vase with the Veneration of a Bull 1670 - 1700

René Boyvin made this engraving called "Vase with the Veneration of a Bull" sometime in the 16th century. The image shows a classical vase decorated with a scene of bull worship. It was made in France, at a time when artists were fascinated by classical antiquity, that is, by the art of ancient Greece and Rome. We can understand the image better by thinking about that history. In this case, the image shows an imagined classical object. But it also says something about French society at the time, and its own relationship to religion and sacrifice. To get a better understanding of this artwork, we can ask questions like: what was the role of the Catholic Church in 16th century France? How did people relate to classical art? How did they understand their own place in history? We can turn to historical texts and other images from the period, in order to better understand the social and institutional context that shaped Boyvin’s work.