Baroque era

It did not raise hopes of eternity nor promise everlasting glory to the poor to compensate for their earthly lot. The limitation of its message partly explains why the religious crisis came to a head, leading both to the birth of Protestantism and to the efforts of the Catholic Church to reorganize itself as the Council of Trent. Baroque. . . became the interpreter of the Catholic Church. . .

Certain of the issues of the time were addressed by various artists in works that were considered controversial. One of the concerns addressed in various works was the nature of prostitution, the prevalence of the brothel, and the possibility of buying love. The Church reasserted certain moral prerogatives in the post-Renaissance era and tried to impose a certain moral restraint on art, criticizing and proscribing the depiction of the nude, for instance. In Protestant countries such as the Dutch Netherlands, the actions of the Catholic Church did not have the same impact. Depictions of certain subjects could still be controversial, however, and often the meaning was hidden in symbolism and other devices

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ay refer to the sexual bargain that is being arranged. The hat may allude to the expression, "He throws his hat before the door," which denotes irresponsibility, worthlessness and even weakness. Such love play was considered to be a common accompaniment to the other pleasures enjoyed in Bega's etching, such as smoking. Young women of the sort depicted here as the barmaid were regarded with ambivalence in Dutch society: Those in polite and religious company considered barmaids to be disciples of the devil, witches or sorceresses of Hell. In spite of such negative attitudes, barmaids or prostitutes were commonly available in most lower-class neighborhood taverns, especially those in seaport cities. Customers anticipated that barmaids wold be available; sexual activities were considered to be appropriate to such an environment. Bega depicts these activities in an amusing and not offensive manner. He includes allusions to the dangers of such activity, such as the ace of spades, the discarded hat, and the unkempt setting. However, he has not emphasized the symbolic elements and does not include a moralizing inscription as was often the case with other artists. Various groups in Dutch society did object to these kinds of act
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Caressing Hostess, Various Dutch, Jan Emmens, Dutchman Greek, Vermeer Procuress, Catholic Church, , Dutch Bourgeoisie, II Spain, Freedkers Jan, seventeenth century, dirck van baburen, catholic church, van baburen, dirck van, bega depicts, addressed various, etching bega, baburen 1622, sexual favors, dutch painting, van baburen 1622,
Approximate Word count = 2108
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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