Noli Me Tangre
Title
Noli Me Tangre
Description
This painting by Han Holbein the Younger is titled "Noli me Tangere" and is an example of art from the Protestant Reformation period. The period was characterized by a change in art in both Catholic and Protestant regions, though the change in Northern Europe was more noticeable. There was also variation in the art produced by different types of Protestants because different sects had radically different views of how art related to religion. Luther and his follows believed that art was an essential part of religion and that it should evolve, but not be eliminated, At the same time in other groups there was a wave of iconoclasm, the destruction of religious imagery. Many pieces of Catholic art, from altering pieces and stain-glass windows, were destroyed by Protestants or hidden by people sympathetic to the Catholic cause. Reform leaders of the Calvinist tradition pushed for the removal of all art from religious spaces and were especially hostile to large paintings and sculptures.
More specifically, Protestants disproved of art that depicted religious subjects from the Bible and relating to Mary and other saints. Instead, prints and book illustrations that could be spread widely, religious scenes that included landscapes, and images of moral-based lives were preferred. Paintings were still done in churches, but often put in less prominent places, and the subject matter was sometimes changed. For example, in Protestant churches, the image put by the altar was more likely to depict the last supper than the crucifixion, as was popular in Catholic churches.
This painting by Hans Holbein the Younger depicts Mary Magdalen's reaction to Christ’s resurrection. The phrase Noli me Tangre means “Don’t touch me” in Latin, and is what Jesus told Mary when she saw him. This painting is characteristic of a Protestant work during this period because it is a smaller scope, and is naturalistic in style. The artist also seems to have tried to avoid explicit references to iconic images by painting the halo very vaguely.
More specifically, Protestants disproved of art that depicted religious subjects from the Bible and relating to Mary and other saints. Instead, prints and book illustrations that could be spread widely, religious scenes that included landscapes, and images of moral-based lives were preferred. Paintings were still done in churches, but often put in less prominent places, and the subject matter was sometimes changed. For example, in Protestant churches, the image put by the altar was more likely to depict the last supper than the crucifixion, as was popular in Catholic churches.
This painting by Hans Holbein the Younger depicts Mary Magdalen's reaction to Christ’s resurrection. The phrase Noli me Tangre means “Don’t touch me” in Latin, and is what Jesus told Mary when she saw him. This painting is characteristic of a Protestant work during this period because it is a smaller scope, and is naturalistic in style. The artist also seems to have tried to avoid explicit references to iconic images by painting the halo very vaguely.
Creator
Hans Holbien the Younger
Source
https://www.flickr.com/photos/marupress/40483548545/in/photolist-24FoLyi-7Cn43M-24Km2rM-kYXAW-qvEv1Q-5PmS5v-5DjX8B-qzKydw-c4kLob-pic5rg-aNDy5R-jsMVaw-5bgz2K-9wETPf-6f5Nxw-74Ma7j-uHQJR-qtgudG-6J2FTh-26ubYcj-qU2eTS-ipbZb3-m1zBDK-dACcEr-qLcWd8-2aJULxX-qPmYkJ-rYhHdH-ot1hf8-23RZcJU-Fp3cZi-2GZXYB-5nYdx1-7opRUv-T2MXAt-HUQffk-36zvB4-26HmCQY-HT4mqd-7ZPQ7H-deCTiJ-8ax4P1-ao9Vut-a3EhBU-6isDRc-b6UR1P-qp64VW-7b7Ked-cEnjgN-bFnccV
Date
1526-28
Contributor
Astrid Steiner-Manning
Rights
Public Domain
Citation
Hans Holbien the Younger , “Noli Me Tangre,” HIST 139 - Early Modern Europe, accessed July 21, 2025, https://earlymoderneurope.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/118.