Babylonische spraakverwarring c. 1711s

This print by Andries van Buysen, titled "Babylonische spraakverwarring," visualizes the biblical story of the Tower of Babel, likely made to be included in a bible during the 17th or 18th century in the Netherlands. The image is dominated by the tower itself, a massive structure of arches which looms over the bustling activity below. The story speaks to a moment of divine intervention in human affairs. According to Genesis, a united humanity, speaking a single language, dared to construct a tower reaching to the heavens. God, threatened by their ambition, scattered them across the earth, confounding their language, and halting their construction. In a way, the Tower of Babel can be seen as a critique of centralized power. The story presents the formation of large institutions and the concentration of authority as a threat to a more ideal, decentralized social order. Art historians might consult period sermons, political pamphlets, and architectural treatises, to understand the image’s place in contemporary debates about social order.