Portret van Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples 1682

Edme de Boulonois created this print, Portret van Jacques Lefèvre d'Étaples, with an engraving. It is housed here at the Rijksmuseum. Portraits were powerful tools to signal a sitter’s allegiance to a particular social group. The image creates meaning through visual codes, cultural references, and historical associations. Lefèvre was a French theologian and humanist. Lefèvre, in his portrait, is dressed in the garb of an academic, signaling his status as a scholar and intellectual. He was a forerunner of the Protestant Reformation, a historical event that divided Europe along religious and political lines. In France, the Reformation challenged the authority of the Catholic Church and the monarchy, leading to decades of conflict. As historians, we can study letters, books, and pamphlets from that time to better understand the social and institutional contexts that shaped the Reformation. In this way, art becomes a window into the past, reflecting the complex interplay of religion, politics, and culture.