H. Johannes de Doper op een rots 1660

Jan van Troyen made this print of Saint John the Baptist, the prophet who foretold the coming of Christ, sometime in the 17th century in the Netherlands. Here, John is shown as a hermit in the wilderness, in a state of religious contemplation. This image of Saint John as a hermit draws from a rich tradition that saw figures withdrawing from society and its norms, a popular theme in the Netherlands at this time. The Dutch Republic was establishing itself through trade and investment, but also saw the rise of religious movements that sought to critique this worldliness. In this context, the image of Saint John can be seen as a reminder of spiritual values. The Rijksmuseum's records show that the print was made as an illustration for a book of religious instruction. Studying such images requires knowledge of religious history, of publishing history, and of the relationship between church and state. The meaning of art is inseparable from the social and institutional conditions in which it is made.