Petrus vindt een munt in de bek van een vis / Christus zegent de kinderen 1716 - 1791

This print, made by Pieter Tanjé, depicts two biblical scenes. Tanjé was a well-known printmaker in the Netherlands during the 18th century. These images served a devotional purpose, instructing viewers on the teachings of the bible. In the top panel, Christ sends Peter to find a coin in the mouth of a fish in order to pay the temple tax. Below this, Christ blesses the children. These are two key episodes from the life of Christ. Prints such as these were typically commissioned for religious books or to be sold as individual images. The Dutch Republic of the 1700s was a deeply religious society and the church played a central role in people's lives, as did institutional forces. Tanjé's engraving served the religious institutions of the time and helped perpetuate certain values. To understand the meaning of this print more fully, we can consult historical documents from the period, such as church records and other visual sources that reveal the cultural history of the day. The meaning of art depends on its social and institutional context.