Titelpagina voor: Andreas de la Moneda, Cvrsvs Vtrivsqve Theologiae 1672

This title page for Andreas de la Moneda’s book, Cvrsvs Vtrivsqve Theologiae, was made in Antwerp by Richard Collin in the late 17th century. As a title page it encapsulates many of the ideas contained within the pages of theological scholarship, framing them for the reader. The image creates meaning through familiar Christian visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations, that was typical of art sanctioned by the church. Dominicans flank a central cartouche that bears the title of the book. Angels frame an allegorical scene from the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, while light beams down from an all-seeing divine presence. The coat of arms at the bottom indicates this book was dedicated to a nobleman. The title page shows the place of theology within the social order, and how the institutions of church and nobility were mutually reinforcing. By studying examples like this, we can better understand the public role of art within the institutions of its own time. Resources such as inventories, dedications, and letters can illuminate this even further.