Monnik met speelkaarten om de hals Possibly 1670 - 1724

Jacob Gole created this print of a monk with playing cards around his neck in the late 17th or early 18th century. In it, we see a caricature of a clergyman in profile. This was a time when the Catholic Church was a powerful social institution, and in Northern Europe, the Church was often eyed with suspicion by the Protestant population. We can see how the image creates meaning through visual codes. The playing cards around the monk's neck and the tools used for preparing food suggest worldliness and a focus on earthly pleasures. The Dutch Republic in which Gole was working was becoming a center of capitalist trade. It was also becoming a place where new political ideas took hold and where the traditional authority of institutions such as the Church was questioned. Looking at prints like this helps us to understand better the social and institutional context that shaped artistic production. By exploring historical sources, we can better appreciate how the art of the past reflected and commented on the society of its time.