Derde dag van schepping: God schept land en zaadvormende planten en bomen met vruchten die zaden dragen 1581 - 1656

Nicolaes de Bruyn created this print, "Third day of creation: God creates land and seed-bearing plants and trees with fruits that bear seeds," sometime between the late 16th and mid 17th century in the Netherlands. The image depicts a moment from the Book of Genesis, visualizing the divine act of creation. Prints like these circulated widely in the Netherlands. In their time, the social function of such images was primarily didactic: to illustrate Biblical stories and reinforce religious teachings for a largely literate public. Here, the image's meaning is constructed through recognizable visual codes - God, framed by a halo, gestures towards the earth, commanding it to bring forth vegetation. The presence of Latin text indicates that it was meant for an educated audience, a product of the prevailing cultural and religious norms of the time. To understand this work better, we could look at the history of religious printmaking in the Netherlands, the role of the church in society, and the circulation of biblical imagery. The meaning of art is contingent on its historical and institutional context.