Paus en geestelijken aan feestmaal c. 1661

This is a 17th-century print, "Paus en geestelijken aan feestmaal," by the Monogrammist GK. Its dominant impression is one of intricate detail, achieved through dense linework. The composition divides into two distinct registers: a lower area populated by figures in motion, and an upper one depicting a more static, possibly ceremonial, scene. The visual syntax used is complex. The artist employs a somewhat flattened perspective. The figures below are rendered with meticulous attention to the folds and textures of their garments. Semiotically, the print operates as a commentary on power and ritual, signified by the arrangement of figures and the architectural backdrop. The use of line suggests a world teeming with activity and perhaps moral conflict. The artist's choice to frame this scene with a decorative border further underscores a sense of both containment and theatrical display. It invites us to consider how the print functions not merely as an image, but as a statement about social and religious structures. This function asks for the ongoing reinterpretation of its meanings across time.