Allegorie op het christelijke geloof 1728 - 1732

This allegory on the Christian faith was etched anonymously in Amsterdam. At first glance, the composition is strikingly organized into distinct registers. The lower part of the composition features a central figure holding a cross and chalice, flanked by an altar decorated with the Last Supper. Above, cherubic figures support a cartouche that declares this work to be about ‘Christian Service,’ while another group of figures bathed in light emerge from the clouds. Through the use of linear perspective, a sharp contrast is created that accentuates the symbolic narrative. The artist’s skillful engraving technique, through its contrasting patterns of light and dark, suggests a conceptual binary between the earthly and the divine. The artist destabilizes this divide by positioning the central figure as a mediator between both realms. The piece invites ongoing interpretation about the role of faith in navigating human existence.