Drie 'yurongnes' (tot de Islam bekeerde Christenen) 1555 - 1568

Léon Davent created this print, “Three ‘yurongnes’ (Christians converted to Islam),” sometime in the mid-16th century. The image offers a glimpse into the fraught religious and cultural dynamics of Renaissance Europe. The term "yurongnes," a derogatory label, highlights the anxieties surrounding religious conversion and cultural assimilation. Davent’s depiction of these figures seems to lean into caricature, with exaggerated features that could reflect prevailing stereotypes about converts. Are they figures of ridicule, objects of fear, or perhaps even symbols of a more complex negotiation of identity? The emotional and personal dimensions of religious conversion during this period were immense, involving a renegotiation of one's place in the world. Religious conversion was rarely a neutral act; it had political, social and personal implications. This print, however, reduces that complexity into a moment of mockery. It is a reminder of how identity can be weaponized.