Epileptics Walking to the Left from Pilgrimage of the Epileptics to the Church at Molenbeeck
Original title: Epileptics Walking to the Left from Pilgrimage of the Epileptics to the Church at Molenbeeck
kurzbeschreibung
Hendrick Hondius I made this engraving in 1642 as one sheet of a series on the pilgrimage of epileptics to the church at Molenbeeck. It shows several people carrying a sick man on a stretcher along a country path. The print is in black and white and belongs to the first of two states.
Description
On a path in the foreground, several figures drag a man in a carrying frame. Grass, bushes and trees line the way on both sides, and a sturdy tree stretches its thick branches over the path. Further back, individual figures stand on a bridge and watch the group go by. Hills and trees close off the space, and the people wear clothing of their time. The layout clearly separates the procession in the foreground from the onlookers behind.
Context
This sheet belongs to a series that records the pilgrimage of epileptics to the church at Molenbeeck near Brussels. In the seventeenth century, many sick people sought healing on such pilgrim routes, and the phenomenon was widespread. Hondius, a Dutch engraver and publisher, made the work in 1642 in The Hague. The series thus captures the social and medical customs of that era.
Impact
The many details make the procession and its surroundings vivid. Even, calm light and a clear arrangement give the sheet a factual, almost documentary character. Viewers follow a scene from a past time without being nudged toward an emotional judgment.
Technique
Hondius used engraving: the lines were cut into a metal plate and then printed in black and white, as is usual for this process. The sheet measures 22.3 x 16.5 cm. That it is the first of two states points to a later reworking of the plate.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)