The Diffusion of Illustrated Religious Texts and Ideological Restraints

Focusing on the subordinate role assigned to Bible illustrations in Dutch religious literature, the chapter explores the difference between practices in the Republic and its neighbouring countries in order to advance the tentative hypothesis that these practices were motivated by theological and ideological considerations rather than by commerce. The restrictive mechanisms in the printing practices of the Dutch Republic were discussed in detail in the author's monograph Negotiating Differences: Word, Image and Religion in the Dutch Republic. The chapter concentrates on the illustrations that w... Mehr ...