Heilige Familie met Johannes de Doper c. 1596 - 1635

Zacharias Dolendo created this engraving, The Holy Family with John the Baptist, sometime around the turn of the 17th century. The print reflects the culture of domestic piety that flourished in the Netherlands during this period. We see Mary, Joseph, and the infants Jesus and John in an intimate, informal setting, a visual language aimed at fostering a personal connection with religious figures. This burgeoning intimacy in religious art coincided with the rise of Protestantism, which emphasized individual faith and personal interpretation of the Bible, shifting away from the ornate grandeur of the Catholic Church. Prints like this were widely distributed and affordable, making religious imagery accessible to a broad audience, shaping religious sentiment within the home. To understand this image better, we can consult archives from civic and religious institutions that show how the Protestant reformation impacted domestic life. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.