Prediking van Johannes de Doper 1738

Jean Moyreau made this print titled 'Prediking van Johannes de Doper', or 'Preaching of John the Baptist', after a painting by another artist. Prints like this were a vital way of circulating images and ideas in eighteenth-century Europe. This print takes a religious subject – John the Baptist preaching – and places it within a contemporary context, for the consumption of a wide public. We see John the Baptist at the centre, preaching to a crowd of people from all walks of life. Look closer and you will notice men on horseback in the dress of soldiers. Religious imagery was often used to comment on social structures. Does the inclusion of soldiers suggest a critique of power? These kinds of prints provide valuable insight into the social and cultural values of the time. Catalogues, letters, and other archival documents can help us to understand their production and consumption, and the public role of art in eighteenth-century society.