The Ascension c. 1651 - 1656

David Teniers the Younger painted ‘The Ascension’ during the 17th century, likely on canvas. The picture presents the ascent of Jesus into Heaven, a pivotal moment in Christian theology. Teniers was from the Spanish Netherlands, a Catholic region at a time when religious imagery served a very public role. The figures below Jesus are disciples, but also a kind of audience. How might this work serve a propagandistic purpose? Is it self-consciously conservative, reinforcing traditional hierarchies? To answer these questions, the historian needs a grasp of the Counter-Reformation, the complex politics of the Habsburg Empire, and the place of painters in its society. We can then understand how an artist shapes and is shaped by social forces.