Heilige Mozes de Zwarte after 1636

Frederick Bloemaert created this print, Heilige Mozes de Zwarte, or Saint Moses the Black, sometime in the 17th century. Bloemaert was working in a Dutch Republic that was grappling with its identity as a colonial power and a center of the slave trade. The print depicts Saint Moses, an Ethiopian ascetic, who converted to Christianity. But let's really look at this image: Saint Moses is rendered with softer features, and lighter skin than we would expect. The word Aethiopicus is written at the bottom, literally meaning Ethiopian. The female figure, possibly representing Ethiopia, is depicted with horns. Consider how this representation of Saint Moses might affect viewers. Does it challenge or reinforce the racial hierarchies of the time? Perhaps this print offers a vision, however imperfect, of racial and spiritual transformation, but we cannot ignore the cultural context and its implications.