Jonatan vraagt het vertrouwen van David 1538

This woodcut depicting Jonathan appealing to David comes from a series made by Hans Holbein the Younger in Switzerland, sometime in the 1520s. Holbein was working in a period of religious upheaval and the series reflects the key themes of the Reformation: moral behavior, faith, and the individual's relationship to God. Here Holbein uses the visual language of the Northern Renaissance, to emphasize the story's moral message. In a time of iconoclasm, Holbein's embrace of printmaking was a way of expanding his audience and using popular media to make powerful statements about social and religious issues. Holbein's images circulated widely in printed books and pamphlets, influencing public opinion and contributing to broader debates about religious reform. Studying Reformation-era pamphlets and woodcuts helps us understand the artist's engagement with the complex social, religious, and political landscape of his time. Approaching art from a historical perspective allows us to see how it both reflects and shapes the culture in which it's made.