Institution of Passover 16th-17th century

Curator: Johann Sadeler's "Institution of Passover" offers a complex visual narrative, doesn't it? Editor: It's pretty graphic. There's a disturbing sense of preparation meeting imminent violence. I wonder how viewers at the time processed its layered horror. Curator: Sadeler, who lived from 1550 to 1601, likely aimed to instruct and commemorate. Think about how prints circulated then—they brought biblical stories into homes and facilitated discussions around faith and authority. Editor: Right, and this portrayal feels intensely patriarchal and ritualistic. The angel of death looming outside, the bodies, the preparation...It raises questions about power, sacrifice, and divine justice. Who benefits and who suffers within this depiction of religious law? Curator: It's a scene steeped in tradition, revealing the community's adherence to these complex laws. I think the focus would have been less on the cost, and more on the salvation promised. Editor: Possibly, but seeing it through today's lens, it's impossible to ignore the ethical implications and the potential for the normalization of violence. Curator: It's certainly powerful to consider how its message might have shifted across centuries. Editor: Absolutely, and that's the importance of constantly revisiting history and art, and interrogating our own perspectives in the process.