Staande Christusfiguur 1830 - 1887

Johan Hendrik Koelman made this standing figure of Christ with pencil on paper. As an artist working in the Netherlands during the 19th century, Koelman would have been reckoning with the legacy of Protestantism and its complicated relationship to religious imagery. The Protestant Reformation had led to widespread iconoclasm, or the destruction of religious images. Yet, despite this history, there was also a growing interest in religious art, particularly within the context of historical and academic painting. What, then, is the public role of an image like this? Does it intend to inspire faith? Or is it simply a demonstration of the artist's technical skill and knowledge of historical styles? By studying the history of religious institutions and the art market in the Netherlands at this time, we can better understand the complex social conditions that shaped the production and reception of this drawing.