Bethlehem

Title

Bethlehem

View shows the Mar Elias monastery, the city of Bethlehem, the Abacuck chapel, etc. In the foreground are figurative staffage and below the view is an index. Published by Jan Peeters.

ca. 1680

Artist

Bouttats (1640-1695-96)

Gaspar Bouttats (c. 1650–1696), Antwerp, was a Flemish engraver and etcher. He specialized in: Book engravings (title pages, illustrations), City views (e.g. Amsterdam, Bergen op Zoom, Deventer, Leiden), Topographical scenes (cities, fortifications, landscapes), Historical scenes (e.g. the assassination of Henry IV), Portraits, and Maps (e.g. Polonia Regnum). Many of his engravings were based on drawings by Jan Peeters I, a well-known draughtsman of topographical views. At the time, Antwerp was a major European center for book printing, map production, and copper engraving. There was a high demand for printed city views, war reports, fortification plans, and maps—driven by wars, trade, and growing scientific interest. His works are now held in museums such as the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Historical Description

The oldest extra-biblical reference to the existence of the place is a 3000 year old seal from the Kingdom of Judah. While the Gospels of Mark and John speak of Nazareth, Luke tells the story as almost every child knows it: Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem for the census, where Jesus was born. North of the city runs the Israeli barrier, which separates Bethlehem from Jerusalem and smaller Palestinian villages like Walaja and Jaba with a wall up to eight meters high.