Luther en Calvijn in de weegschaal 1710 - 1730

This print, made by an anonymous artist, presents a dynamic scene dominated by a large weighing scale suspended from the heavens. The stark contrast of the etching emphasizes form and content to create a visually engaging, if somewhat unsettling, composition. The artist employs the structure of the scale as a central metaphor to examine the theological and ideological tensions of the time. Luther and Calvin are depicted on one side, set against the Catholic Church on the other, and the balance is overseen by a divine hand. The composition invites a semiotic reading, where each element—the figures, the buildings, the scale itself—functions as a sign within a larger symbolic discourse about religious authority and truth. The print destabilizes established meanings through its visual allegory, prompting viewers to question fixed categories of religious belief. It encourages an ongoing interpretation of faith, power, and representation, within the historical context of Reformation debates.