Gehoorzaamheid c. 1585 - 1590

Curator: Here in the Rijksmuseum, we’re looking at "Obedientia," a print made by Philips Galle around 1585-1590. It's an engraving rendered in that tight, linear Mannerist style. What’s your first take? Editor: I'm struck by how static it feels, almost suffocatingly so. The fine lines, the grey tonality...it really emphasizes the weight of submission the figure embodies. It looks like a very controlled, laborious process. Curator: Absolutely. Galle has presented Obedience as an allegorical figure holding a crucifix in one hand and a broken scepter in the other. The cross represents spiritual submission, while the broken scepter signifies renouncing earthly power. Editor: I'm thinking about the materials and techniques of printmaking at this time. Galle and his workshop likely used a copper plate, painstakingly engraving the image in reverse. It was a physically demanding, slow way to create multiples. Imagine the societal message amplified by such production! Curator: Precisely. And that visual language of brokenness against the authority of the Church echoes through the cultural memory, even now. The artist’s attention to these symbols…obedience in both spiritual and political forms… were obviously resonant with viewers in his time. Editor: I wonder, too, about the distribution networks of prints like these. They would have circulated widely, reproduced and sold perhaps in a fairly industrial setting to people who understood their intended meanings. And there were even smaller, more itinerant operations doing the same kind of thing. Curator: It’s incredible how a single image created through this craft could be disseminated to shape beliefs and attitudes. These objects played an essential part in disseminating religious ideology. Editor: Seeing how the physical creation connects with the message is quite powerful. This small print speaks volumes, literally multiplied! Curator: Indeed. It's a reminder that even seemingly passive images can hold tremendous symbolic weight.