Doortocht door de Schelfzee 1675

Cesare Fantetti made this print, "Doortocht door de Schelfzee," using engraving techniques sometime in the late 17th century. It depicts the Exodus story, a powerful narrative of liberation and divine intervention. But let's think about the politics of imagery here. Fantetti was working in a period and place deeply shaped by religious conflict and rising national identities. Biblical scenes were often used to reflect contemporary social and political dynamics. Consider the Dutch Republic at this time: newly independent and Protestant, it identified strongly with the Israelites' struggle for freedom against an oppressive empire. The choice to depict this particular scene, and the way Fantetti visualizes it, speaks to his cultural context. Who is being represented and how? What ideas about power, freedom, and divine authority are being communicated? As art historians, we can investigate these questions by looking at contemporary sermons, political pamphlets, and other visual representations of the Exodus story. The meaning of art is contingent on social and institutional context.