Christus en Maria 1500 - 1600

This print of Christ and Mary was made by an anonymous artist. Images like this one, circulating in the Netherlands, were designed to encourage private devotion. By visually aligning Christ’s suffering and Mary’s sorrow, it encourages the viewer to contemplate the emotional experience of witnessing the Passion. This aligns with the Devotio Moderna, a religious movement popular in the Netherlands during the late medieval period. It emphasized personal piety, emotional engagement with religious narratives, and direct connection to God. Prints allowed for a wider distribution of religious imagery and thus more opportunities for religious contemplation outside of the church. In contrast to earlier traditions of religious art, this print emphasizes personal empathy rather than the display of power. To understand the role of prints like this, it’s important to investigate the printmaking industry and the spread of religious ideas.