Band voor het Nieuwe Testament en de Psalmen c. 1700 - 1725

This is a bookbinding for the New Testament and Psalms, its anonymous creator adorned it with silver. The silver clasps and corners are not merely decorative, they are emblems of status, privilege, and the power of the Church. Consider the Dutch Republic, a place where religious identity was deeply intertwined with political and social life. Owning such an ornate bible might signify not just piety, but also alignment with certain religious and social factions. The book's heavy ornamentation also brings up questions of access and literacy. The weight and cost of the silver would have restricted ownership to the wealthy elite. What did it mean to literally bind the word of God in precious metal, making it inaccessible to many? How might we read this object as a symbol of the complex relationship between faith, power, and exclusion?