Early modern printing press (3/?)
This beautiful etch is made by Frans Hogenberg. It illustrates the Beeldenstorm : this translate to "image storm". The term is used for outbreaks of destruction of religious images that happened in Europe during the 16th century. The Iconoclastic Fury (the English term for Beeldenstorm) is an important event during the complicated, but very interesting period of the revolts in the Netherlands that would end in the Eighty Year's War.
Frans Hogenberg was born in Mechelen (Malines) to Jan Nikolaas Hogenberg in 1535. His father was a painter and engraver and Frans followed in his footsteps. When his father died, Frans' mother remarried with a cartographer, which sparked his passion for maps.
In 1555, Frans left the Spanish Netherlands, probably because of his protestant beliefs. First, he moved to England, later he traveled through France and finally ended up in Cologne. In this time, Cologne was a refuge for protestant artists.
Frans Hogenberg himself was a protestant so there is an Anti-Spanish sentiment in his other works. However, due to censorship it is not very noticeable. There is also the economic aspect that may have played in the way Frans portrayed the events.
