Bergrede 1670 - 1682

Melchior Küsel created this print called Bergrede, or Sermon on the Mount, sometime in the 17th century. The image presents us with a famous episode from the Gospel of Matthew, but through the visual language of Küsel’s own time. We see Jesus addressing a multitude gathered on a hillside, but the scene is framed by classical architecture: columns, arches, and carefully ordered space. This was a period when artists and intellectuals looked back to the achievements of antiquity for models of order and harmony. The institutions of both church and state often sought to associate themselves with the grandeur of the past. Küsel’s print suggests a desire to present Christian teachings as timeless and universal. The print is a testament to the enduring power of religious narratives and their capacity to be reinterpreted across different historical and cultural contexts. To further understand the print, it is worth exploring the theological debates of the 17th century, as well as the prevailing artistic conventions of the period.