Sisak van Egypte rooft schatten uit de tempel 1538

This woodcut showing Shishak of Egypt looting treasures from the temple, was made by Hans Holbein the Younger. Holbein was working in the 16th century, a time when new interpretations of the Bible went hand in hand with a growth in the print market. Here we see the biblical story of Shishak's sacking of Jerusalem's temple retold with a contemporary spin. The architecture and the dress of the figures place it firmly in Holbein's time. By visualising a famous biblical narrative in a contemporary setting, Holbein collapses historical distance. It is this focus on the contemporary significance of Biblical narratives which characterizes much art from Reformation Europe. The interpretation of images such as this will often depend on consulting both religious texts and the visual record of 16th century culture.