Christus en vier oude mannen 1805 - 1844

Ignace-Joseph de Claussin created this print called, "Christus en vier oude mannen," most likely in the early 19th century. Claussin's print is part of a long tradition of Christian art in Europe, which served social and institutional purposes. Artists and their workshops provided biblical scenes for churches and cathedrals, and their wealthy patrons, using well-established visual codes, like Christ as the light of the world, or the four Evangelists, as the supports of the church. Here, Claussin has reinterpreted an etching by Rembrandt. It is a copy. Look how he retains the etching’s emphasis on light and shadow, but transforms it into a 19th century aesthetic. The men appear older, more worn, and tired than in the first etching. How does this shift in emphasis change the symbolic function of the image? Does it take on a message about social decay? The study of prints and their copies is essential to art historians. We learn to pay attention to the conditions of their production and reception as we try to reconstruct their meanings.