April 1624 - 1645

This etching, “April”, was made by Jan Gerritsz Swelinck in the Netherlands, sometime in the early 17th century. The print, with the word “Avril” inscribed at the top, depicts a scene of rural life underneath the sign of the zodiac, Aries. Looking closer, we see that Swelinck also embeds a biblical parable within the everyday scene. In the foreground, we see Christ telling his disciples the Parable of the Sower. The sower sows seeds, some of which fall on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns and some on good soil. The etching's choice to make this the image for April suggests an allegory between the spreading of the Gospel, and the planting of seeds in Spring. Prints like this one were common in the Netherlands in the 17th century and were often bound into books. By combining the secular and the religious, the worldly and the divine, “April” offers us a glimpse into the cultural landscape of the Dutch Golden Age. To understand it better, we might examine Dutch emblem books, as well as the visual culture of the Dutch Reformed Church.