Chinese bedelmonniken die zich pijnigen 1728

This etching by Bernard Picart, titled "Chinese bedelmonniken die zich pijnigen," was created in the early 18th century. It illustrates Chinese monks engaged in acts of self-mortification. Note the repetitive gestures of kneeling and prostration, seen across cultures as emblematic of submission and penitence. The man with the whip, striking his own head, echoes the flagellant traditions seen in medieval Europe. Such rituals, whether in China or Europe, suggest a universal impulse to atone through physical suffering. Consider the figure bound in chains, a symbol of enslavement and a loss of agency. This image, laden with visual cues of hardship and redemption, connects to our collective understanding of suffering. These motifs, appearing across time and culture, evoke a deep, subconscious response, reminding us of the enduring human quest for spiritual purification.