Besnijdenis van Christus 1642 - 1657

Bartolomeo Biscaino created this etching, titled 'Circumcision of Christ', sometime in the mid-17th century. Biscaino, a painter and printmaker from Genoa, Italy, was working within a well-established tradition of religious imagery, designed to reinforce the beliefs and values of the Catholic Church. The scene depicts the biblical episode of Jesus's circumcision, a ritual with deep roots in Jewish law and custom. But Biscaino infuses the image with contemporary cultural references. The setting, with its classical columns, evokes the architecture of Renaissance palaces. The cherubic figures playing with a bird in a cage add a playful, distinctly Baroque sensibility. To truly understand the print, we can dig deeper, examining the political dynamics of Genoa at the time, perhaps looking at the role of the Church in shaping social norms. We could consider how Biscaino’s own artistic training shaped his interpretation of this iconic scene. Historical research like this helps us appreciate the complex social forces that shaped the art of the past.