Portret van Fabius Chisius 1648 - 1697

Paulus Pontius made this print of Fabius Chisius using etching around 1628 in the Netherlands. Chisius’s vestments point to his important position within the Catholic Church. Consider the Latin inscription surrounding the portrait. Note especially the phrase "Et veritate justitia" which translates to "And truth [with] justice." These words point to the self-conscious role the Church played in the historically turbulent Dutch Republic. It was a time of religious reformation, counter-reformation, and wars of independence. Chisius acted as a papal nuncio or ambassador during peace negotiations in Münster. A historian uses visual and textual clues together to understand how institutions and individuals present themselves to the world. In this case, the print operates as a symbol of hope for peace, mediated through the Catholic Church. What resources might you use to understand better this historical moment and the political role of religious institutions?