Monnik met een mijter

Jacob Gole created this print, *Monnik met een mijter*, sometime between 1660 and 1737 using etching and engraving. It depicts a monk, adorned with a fox stole and a bishop’s mitre, gleefully blowing a hunting horn. This satirical image vividly captures the moral and spiritual corruption that was perceived to be rife within the Catholic Church at this time. Gole critiques the opulence and hypocrisy of religious figures, who were seen as abandoning their vows of poverty and piety in favor of worldly pleasures. The fox stole is a particularly potent symbol, as foxes are commonly associated with cunning and deceit. The inscription translates to, “The hunt pleases me more than the duties of the church.” The print resonates with both humor and a sharp critique of power, inviting us to reflect on the tensions between religious authority and personal integrity.