Madonna met Kind 1618 - 1655

Cornelis Schut created this print, "Madonna met Kind", in the Netherlands sometime in the first half of the 17th century. This intimate portrayal of motherhood, rendered with delicate lines, embodies the central values of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. In the wake of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic artists were encouraged to produce devotional images with a renewed emphasis on the humanity of religious figures. Mary is no longer a distant icon, but a relatable mother filled with tenderness towards her child. The institutional history of art is crucial here. Prints such as this were easily reproduced and widely distributed, serving as tools for religious instruction within the domestic sphere. Art historians consult prints and other widely disseminated imagery in order to fully understand the role that art plays in the religious and political life of the early modern period.