Christus aan het kruis en Maria en Johannes 1547

Augustin Hirschvogel created this etching of Christ on the cross with Mary and John in the mid-16th century. The image presents a familiar scene, but one depicted at a time of enormous religious and political tension. Hirschvogel was working in the Holy Roman Empire, a place deeply divided by the Reformation. The debates between Protestants and Catholics often focused on images and their proper role. Protestants were far more suspicious of religious art, associating it with idolatry. This etching reflects that context in its stark and somewhat austere depiction of the crucifixion. The print is not overtly opulent or decorative, but it is also deeply emotive. We see the influence of competing religious views. The tools available to us as historians, whether they be theological tracts, pamphlets, or records of iconoclasm, help us to understand this artwork as a product of a specific time and place. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.