Slapende parochie 1745 - 1794

Richard Purcell made this mezzotint, "The Sleepy Congregation," around 1765. Here, the architecture of the church is an important backdrop for a not-so-holy scene. A clergyman drones on from the pulpit, while his congregation succumbs to slumber. Purcell’s print comes from a long line of satirical images commenting on the state of the Church in England. Thinkers were questioning its role in society. The church was often seen as being out of touch with the needs of the people. This work would have been distributed as a print, meaning that the art institution wasn't a church, but the printing press. It is a work critical of social institutions. To better understand this image, one might examine the religious and political climate of 18th-century England, and investigate the role of printmaking in disseminating social commentary. After all, artistic interpretation relies on understanding the social and institutional contexts that shaped its creation.