David Joris, Twonderboeck. Vianen, [Dirk Mullem], 1584

Main work of the spiritualist David Joris (1501-1556), one of the major figures in the Radical Reformation movements that swept through Europe in the 16th century, urging a spiritual reformation of man which was not indebted to any official church structure, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant. His attitude towards the ‘visible church’ was highly pragmatic: he allowed his followers to observe the sacraments, since these were not considered to be in any way essential. The engravings in the second edition by Hieronymus Wierix were based on the woodcuts of the first edition (1544), which had been designed by David Joris himself.