Monnik met een vos als stola 1724

Editor: This is Jacob Gole's "Monnik met een vos als stola" from 1724, held at the Rijksmuseum. It’s an engraving of a monk, but he’s wearing a fox as a stole… which feels pretty subversive. What's your read on this peculiar image? Curator: The subversive nature is precisely where its power lies. Consider the historical context: prints like this circulated widely, shaping public opinion and challenging authority. Gole uses satire to critique the church, doesn't he? What is communicated by presenting a figure of religious authority adorned with the image of cunning and deceit? Editor: That the church itself might be cunning and deceitful? The fox almost seems like a symbol. Curator: Exactly. The choice of engraving as a medium is significant too. Prints were accessible and easily disseminated, allowing for broad critique. Think about who the intended audience might be – who was this message for, and how would they have interpreted it? Was Gole critiquing specific individuals or the institution of the church in general? Editor: It's interesting to consider how radical this would have seemed then, and how it challenges perceptions of power and religion even today. I hadn’t considered its potential impact through mass distribution at the time. Curator: Its resonance lies in its continued relevance, right? How institutions, then and now, wield influence and the artist’s role in questioning them. Editor: Thanks, it's given me a whole new perspective on the purpose of this print beyond its strange appearance. Curator: Precisely, and hopefully, it encourages further investigation into art’s relationship with the politics of imagery.