Apostle James Beheaded, AD 45 1685

Jan Luyken created this engraving of “Apostle James Beheaded” without indicating exactly when, but it depicts events from AD 45. Luyken was a Dutch Golden Age painter, engraver, and poet, who was later influenced by the mystical beliefs of Jakob Böhme. This image is of interest because it illustrates the politics of religious imagery in the Netherlands at this time. Luyken was a Mennonite, and the Mennonites were part of the Radical Reformation. It critiqued established religious institutions, emphasizing a personal relationship with God. The engraving is full of historical associations. The Netherlands, newly independent from Spain, was a Protestant country with a large Catholic minority. Biblical scenes such as this were fraught with relevance to contemporary politics. Understanding this art relies on the art historian examining not just the image itself, but the social and institutional context within which it was made.