Prediking van het Christendom, 719 1840 - 1860

This print by Augustinus Jacobus Bernardus Wouters, made in the Netherlands in the 19th century, depicts the preaching of Christianity in the year 719. But how might we interpret such an image, made so long after the event it portrays? Consider the context of the 19th century, a time of nation-building across Europe, and the construction of national mythologies. Here, Wouters depicts the early adoption of Christianity. Note the figures. Soldiers stand to the left, while religious figures occupy the right. A king stands in the center, with a young woman by his side. The picture uses a visual code – the alignment of secular and religious power – to suggest that conversion to Christianity was crucial to the development of a stable social order. We can use sources like historical documents, religious texts, and social histories to understand the complex dynamics of this period. These sources help us to understand how the artist's choices reflect the values and beliefs of his own time.