Portaal met een rondboog en beeldhouwwerk van Petrus 1860 - 1861

Isaac Gosschalk made this pencil drawing of a portal with a sculpture of Saint Peter sometime in the 19th century, likely as a study for another work. Its institutional context would have been within the Dutch art academy system, which was then trying to foster a sense of national artistic identity, often by turning to the past. The image shows a Romanesque-style doorway, with a sculpture of Saint Peter above it. The choice of Saint Peter and the Romanesque style is interesting, because both are associated with the Catholic Church. In the 19th century, the Netherlands was a predominantly Protestant country, but there was a growing Catholic minority. The choice of this subject matter may reflect a growing interest in and acceptance of Catholic culture within Dutch society. The resurgence of the Gothic style in the mid-19th century was spurred on by the writings of people like Viollet-le-Duc, with strong nationalistic undercurrents. In order to understand this drawing better, we could look at other works by Gosschalk, as well as the writings of art critics and historians of the period. By doing so, we can gain a deeper understanding of the social and cultural context in which it was created.