Anonymous: The Iconoclastic Fury of the Dutch protestants (1566)

(Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

An engraving made by an unknown Dutch artist. In the 16th century, Protestantism spread in the Low Countries (Netherlands and Flanders) by open-air sermons held outside towns. On 10 August 1566, field preaching in Steenvoorde, in western Flanders, ended in an assault on a nearby monastery, whose religious statues were destroyed. This “Iconoclastic Fury” soon spread from the southern to the northern Netherlands. The iconoclasts, coming from all walks of life, directed their rage to the statues in churches and monasteries. In part, their rage was fuelled by hatred against the Roman Catholic clergy; it is exacerbated by despair ensuing from hunger and poverty. This protestant propaganda print celebrates the destruction of this fury. Shown are several men with broomsticks swiping away the statues. On the left are catholic monks praying to a version of "the Whore of Babylon" (from Book of Revelation, chapter 17), in this case the seven-headed beast is mounted by the pope. Above them, a devil is fleeing with several statues in his hands. The text at the bottom reads: "Laet ons wel bidden sonder ophelden/ och dat os heylichdom te meer mach gelden/ Laet ons ras keren en worden niet moe/ Want aelle dees cremekie hoort den duyvel toe" (Let us pray without distractions so our sanctuary will become more worthy. Let us not become tired because all these statues belong to the devil). Print from 1566.