Self Portrait (_) with his Wife and Symbols of the Christian Faith after 1680

Johann Heinrich Roos painted this self-portrait with his wife and Christian symbols in the 17th century. The era saw a shift in artistic patronage, moving from the church and aristocracy toward a growing merchant class, particularly in the Netherlands. Roos uses symbolism deeply rooted in the culture of his time. Consider the chalice bathed in divine light, the sacrificial lambs, and the serpent coiled around an apple—references to salvation, innocence, and temptation. Roos and his wife, gazing towards the heavens, are positioned behind a stone tablet. This could be interpreted as a testament to their faith but also speaks to Roos's self-awareness as a religious artist. The painting exists within a context of religious introspection following the Reformation, and the rise of the merchant class who often commissioned such works. To better understand Roos and his artistic choices, we could examine the period's religious texts, the biographies of artists, and the economic conditions that shaped artistic patronage in the Dutch Golden Age.