Maria met kind en Johannes de Doper 1589 - 1615

Lucas Kilian created this engraving, "Maria met kind en Johannes de Doper," sometime between 1579 and 1637. Kilian was one of many Northern European artists who flocked to Italy to learn printmaking techniques and disseminate Italian styles back home. This image of the Virgin and the two children offers a devotional image for private contemplation, but it also speaks to the changing social role of religious imagery during the Counter-Reformation. The Council of Trent had recently decreed that images should be accurate, edifying, and promote piety. The soft, sentimental naturalism and graceful composition exemplified the reformed aesthetic, and the halos affirm the sanctity of the figures depicted. Engravings like this one played an important role in standardizing religious imagery across Europe, which helped to shape cultural values. To understand it better, we could examine the printmaking industry of Augsburg and the religious climate that informed the creation and consumption of such images.