Opstanding van Christus 1702 - 1767

Jacob Folkema created this print of the Resurrection of Christ, sometime between 1692 and 1767, using etching. Here we see the triumphant Christ rising above Roman soldiers, who are splayed on the ground, vanquished. Angels hover in attendance, amid the clouds and radiance. Made in the Netherlands, this image reflects the culture's long history of religious conflict and its negotiation through representational traditions. By the time Folkema was active, the Dutch Republic had become a haven for various Protestant denominations and even dissenting voices from other faiths. The visual arts became a means of expressing and negotiating these complex religious identities. By looking into Dutch religious history and the networks of printmaking at the time, we can learn much more about the image’s original function. We can ask: What did it mean to represent religious subjects in the unique social and political environment of the Dutch Republic?