Christus verschijnt aan de apostelen 1629

Christoffel van Sichem II created this woodcut of ‘Christ Appears to the Apostles’ around the first half of the 17th century. Sichem, working in the Netherlands, here engages with the visual language of the Protestant Reformation. The image illustrates the biblical story, but it also subtly comments on the role of religious authority. Note the division of space, with Christ at different distances from the viewer, engaging with different groups of apostles. The letters A through E, possibly indicating the order in which Christ addresses the men, suggests a hierarchy within the group, and perhaps also among the faithful. We might ask: What is the social function of religious imagery? Is it to educate, to inspire piety, or to reinforce existing social structures? The Rijksmuseum archives hold further documents relating to the artist and the cultural context of his work, which may help us better understand the image’s meaning.