Christus voor Herodes 1629

Editor: So, here we have "Christus voor Herodes," or "Christ Before Herod," an engraving from 1629 by Christoffel van Sichem II, currently at the Rijksmuseum. It's fascinating how much detail he achieved with just line work. I’m immediately drawn to the texture of all those repeated strokes! What catches your eye when you look at it? Curator: Immediately I’m looking at the implications of the choice of engraving itself. What kind of accessibility did this afford? Who was able to consume this imagery, and what impact might that have had on the prevailing attitudes towards religion, towards power? Were these prints widely distributed, and if so, to what extent did they influence popular belief? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I was mainly thinking about it visually! I suppose making prints would allow the image to spread more widely. Curator: Exactly. This isn't a unique oil painting displayed in a palace. This is reproducible. We need to examine the materials. The paper itself, the ink – where did it come from? How were these engravings created and what was the socio-economic background of those that labored in the workshop to make this affordable to its intended market? And more than just access, how would the process of replicating a religious narrative alter its message and meaning? Editor: So, by focusing on the materials and production, you can unlock a completely different interpretation of the artwork. It changes it from just being about the Biblical scene to about social and economic dynamics too. Curator: Precisely. It is in the replication process, the material means of making the image visible, that we find potentially disruptive modes of analyzing the period. I believe this artwork calls for considering the intersections of material culture and religious belief. Editor: I’ll definitely keep that in mind moving forward.