De koperen slang 1602 - 1650

Cornelis Galle I created this engraving, "The Brazen Serpent," sometime between 1592 and 1650. It depicts a scene from the Book of Numbers in which Moses erects a bronze serpent on a pole, so that the Israelites who had been bitten by snakes could look at it and be healed. This image creates meaning through visual codes that were ubiquitous in the culture of the early modern Netherlands. The engraving participates in a broader visual culture of religious imagery, and it also speaks to the political and religious tensions of its time. Galle worked during the Eighty Years' War, when the Netherlands was fighting for independence from Spain, and this engraving, with its themes of salvation and deliverance, could have resonated with those who supported the Dutch cause. The Rijksmuseum's collection is a great place to learn more about the art of this period and to understand the social and institutional context in which it was made. Examining Galle's print in this context will help us appreciate its significance and its enduring power.