Verheerlijking van Christus en Christus geneest een maanzieke 1791

Simon Fokke made this print of two scenes from the Gospel of Matthew, sometime before his death in 1784. The work is a reminder of the public role of art in the Dutch Republic, and later, specifically as it relates to religion. The print reproduces two key scenes from the Bible: The Transfiguration of Christ and Christ Healing the Lunatic Boy. In the 18th century, the Dutch Republic was a Protestant nation. The visual arts played an important role in religious instruction, even as the Dutch became important players in a new global economy. Prints like this one circulated widely and cheaply, acting as an accessible and affordable way of educating people about the key stories and beliefs of the Christian faith. The Rijksmuseum, where this print is now housed, was founded to represent Dutch art and history. Its collection includes many such works that tell us about the nation's religious culture and the institutions that fostered it. To understand this work better, we can research the history of religious printmaking in the Netherlands, and the role of institutions such as the church in shaping artistic production.