Featured Collective research: Satirical Print, anomymous, 16th century

Ok, so far we have found a lot of information, but for now I think we have raised more questions then we answered them (that is no problem, it happens in research). Let's make a summary of what we have:

We have a copper engraving with nine men playing games (backgammon, cards and dice) on a table. One row of the men are Catholic clergyman (the pope, a cardinal (?) and 3 monks), the other row of men are wearing 16th century noblemen's clothes. Around the playing men there are 4 cartouches with (Southern) Dutch 16th century text about true believe. "Our brother Francis" is mentioned in the text.
The engraving has no signature of the artist.

We have found 4 different versions of the engraving by at least 2 different artist in 2 languages (Dutch and English):

We have found 4 versions:
Without title - anonymous - without dating (British Museum and my version)

The Game against the Monks - Pieter van de Heyden(1570) (Rijksmuseum)
The Revelles of Christdome - Thomas Cockson(~1609) (British Museum)
The Royal Gamesters - anonymous(1626-1629) (British Museum)

 

I just found the 1570 version of the engraving is on the cover of this book:

Games and Game Playing in European Art and Literature, 16th-17th Centuries (Cultures of Play) - by Robin O'Bryan (Editor)



I tried to find if the book is for sale and it is, but for in insane amount of money (
€100-€180 for the real book and even the ebook is more then €100). I rather buy a real old book for that money...

https://www.aup.nl/en/book/97894637...ropean-art-and-literature-16th-17th-centuries

 

The man next to the pope is a cardinal. He is wearing a so called Galero.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galero

 

OK, my next step is to zoom in at the text, maybe that will give us more clous to solve this puzzle.



_________________________________________________________________
1 O ghy valsche ketters dit wil ick strycken
Het spuel staet schoon het is ons ghewonnen
Ons Broeder Fransciscus vol van practyken
Die en sal niet wycken hy en heeft v verslonne[n]

1 Oh you false heathens/heretics whom I will destroy/attack/strike,
We have well and truly won the game.
Our Brother Franciscus has his ways
He won't be moved and he will destroy/devour you.
_________________________________________________________________

In comparison to the version of van der Heyden there are two differences: The later addition of the word DIT between KETTERS and WIL and the letter N on the end of VERSLONNE (N). The engraver did not had enough room for the N on the end of VERSLONNEN so he added a so called macron above the E. This was a common scribal abbreviation in medieval texts to shorten words.

Medieval Dutch text (around 1440) with scribal abbrevations (in bold).

...SCHEMELIC ZIJNDE. ENDE DOOR
DIE DOERNEN CROEN DIE
HIJ IN SIJNE HEILIGE HOOFT
GEDRUCT WART ENDE DOOR...



So back to the text itself.

1 Oh you false heathens/heretics whom I will destroy/attack/strike,
We have well and truly won the game.
Our Brother Franciscus has his ways
He won't be moved and he will destroy/devour you.

Who are these false heretics? The Dutch noblemen who stood up against the Spanish king? The protestant leaders of the Dutch Revolt?

Brother Francis(cus) can refer to Franciscus of Assisi. The maker of the text seems to take the side of Franciscus, so probably is the writer (van der Heyden) is a Catholic.

 

I have an idea: what if the upper 2 cartouches are the Protestants words and the lower 2 the Catholic? That would suggest van der Heyden made this print from some kind of neutral point of view and did not choose one of the sides.

 

You mean the texts are like speech balloons for the people in the print? But no one around the table is a victim, they are the people who pull the strings, play the game, while others suffer.

 

Yes, that also would explain the different font in the upper and lower cartouches. The lower 2 are referring to the Catholic point of view: our brother Fransiscus,Our chalice and ciborium are lost/Oh, Father in Rome, help us.

In the upper cartouches the Protestant view: The crowned beast (the pope or king Philip II) with his brutal forces.

 

But where would the victims come in? They are in the text but not in the image.

 

The victim could be the maker/viewer of the engraving, the common man.

 

It is a few years ago since I studied this print. I believe now the Franciscus mentioned in the text is Franciscus Sonnius(1506-1576), the first bishop of Antwerp. He was born in the village where I grew up (Son).

 

If the Franciscus mentioned is Sonnius, could your print be related to the "Biëncorf der H. Roomscher Kercke" (Beehive of the Holy Roman Church) by van Marnix van Sint Aldegonde?
The "Biëncorf" was dedicated to Sonnius as a mockery:

"Een der meest prominente tegenstanders van Sonnius was Filips van Marnix van Sint-Aldegonde, medestander van Willem van Oranje, die later burgemeester van Antwerpen werd en genoemd wordt als dichter van het Wilhelmus. Diens hoofdwerk, de Biëncorf der H. Roomscher Kercke uit 1569 is spottend opgedragen aan de bisschop."

https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franciscus_Sonnius