De drie hogere wijdingen in de rooms-katholieke kerk 1722

Bernard Picart created this print, "The Three Higher Ordinations in the Roman Catholic Church," sometime between 1696 and 1733, using etching and engraving. The image shows, in four panels, the ordination of subdeacons, deacons and priests. Each panel depicts the interior of a Catholic church, recognizable from its altar, candlesticks and crucifix. The panels are accompanied by descriptions in French. Picart was a French engraver who converted from Catholicism to Protestantism, and he may have created this image to document Catholic rituals for a Protestant audience. This was a period of intense religious conflict in Europe, with the Catholic Church often portrayed negatively in Protestant propaganda. The print offers an insight into the hierarchical structure of the church and how its authority is passed down through formal ceremonies. Understanding the institutional history and the religious context of Picart’s time helps us interpret such images, and for this, historians rely on resources such as letters, pamphlets, and other images from the period.