Mozes met de tafelen der wet after 1610

This print shows Moses with the tablets of the law and was made by an anonymous artist. Here we see the great law-giver, his brow furrowed and a righteous anger in his eyes. He holds the tablets on which God inscribed the Ten Commandments, a foundational text in Western moral and legal codes. This image tells us a lot about the cultural and institutional history of the time. Prints like these were not just religious illustrations, they were tools. In the absence of mass literacy, prints helped disseminate religious and moral lessons, reinforcing social norms and hierarchies. The church, state, and family used imagery to shape public opinion and maintain social order. To truly understand this print, we might delve into religious treatises, moral instruction manuals, and even legal documents of the period. By situating the artwork within its original social and institutional context, we can gain a richer appreciation of its purpose, its audience, and its enduring power.