Varende engelen met het Christuskind 1825 - 1883

Theodoor Schaepkens created this print, Varende engelen met het Christuskind, in the Netherlands sometime in the 19th century. Here we see a scene of angels sailing, carrying the Christ child. It reflects the religious sentiment and artistic conventions prevalent in 19th-century Europe. During this period, the Netherlands witnessed a revival of religious art, influenced by Romanticism and a renewed interest in historical and biblical themes. Schaepkens, working within this cultural milieu, employs visual codes that would have resonated with his audience, drawing on familiar iconography to convey religious narratives. The print participates in a broader cultural trend of reaffirming Christian values and moral principles. To fully appreciate this work, one could explore the religious and artistic institutions of the time, examining how they shaped artistic production and reception. By consulting historical archives, religious publications, and art criticism of the period, we gain insights into the social conditions that influenced Schaepkens' artistic choices and the meaning of art as contingent on its social and institutional context.