Harp spelend engeltje 1630 - 1652

Pieter van Avont created this small engraving of a harp-playing angel in the 17th century. Antwerp, where the artist lived, was a center of Catholic reformation, and religious imagery was common. But this is no ordinary devotional image. Rather than glorifying God, the image draws on the culture of aristocratic patronage. The cherubic figure and the harp evoke a world of earthly pleasure and harmony. The artist was dependent on wealthy elites who collected art and shaped its production. What kind of art did they value? What kind of social statements did they like to make? To understand this image, we can research the artist's career, the market for prints, and the culture of collecting in Antwerp at the time. By looking into these questions, we can understand more about the image’s place in its own time.