Illustratie voor de Decamerone van Boccaccio 1697

This is Romeyn de Hooghe’s etching, Illustration for Boccaccio’s Decameron, made sometime between 1660 and 1708. De Hooghe lived in a time of immense shifts in political and religious power, which shaped his critical view of social structures. He was deeply influenced by the philosophical shift towards enlightenment ideals. In this illustration we see figures of authority looking down upon a scene of brutal violence. The expressions of those inflicting the violence range from anger to enjoyment. Are we meant to understand that the ‘authorities’ condone or turn a blind eye to the cruelty unfolding before them? De Hooghe uses his skill as an etcher to reveal the tensions between power, justice, and morality, inviting us to reflect on the darker aspects of human behavior. In this small illustration, he captures the feeling of a society wrestling with its own capacity for violence and injustice.