Crossing Off The Cross
In the seventeenth century, biblical images and tableaux were very much in demand.Rembrandt undoubtedly read the bible very thoroughly. In his biblical scenes (inspired by the New Testament) Man takes centre stage, in picturesque surrounding.Religious and allegorical themes were important in Rembrandt’s work. Undoubtedly, his religious paintings arose from a very dedicated study of the holy bible.
In recent times, religion has increasingly fallen out of favour in the Netherlands. The numbers of faithful believers is in decline, thus causing a rise in the sales of religious real estate, property and goods. However, it has turned out to possible to split up a church building, with one part being dedicated to worship and the other part being used for other purpose.