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Secondary sourcePainting1660

The Protestant Reformers

1660

A 1660 group portrait placing Jan Hus among Protestant reformers such as Luther, Calvin and Wycliffe, held by the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Hus is depicted here as one of the founding figures of the Protestant tradition, decades before the Reformation he is said to have inspired.

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Painting of a group of Protestant reformers seated and standing around a table with an open book, a candle, and labels including Luther, Melanchthon, Calvin, Beza, Hus, and Wycliffe. Figures in dark academic clothing and white collars fill the composition, with some figures at the bottom of the table partly hidden in shadow.
The Protestant Reformers, 1660. Society of Antiquaries of London, Burlington House.

About this source

What it is

This painting from 1660 shows a group of Protestant reformers gathered around a table with an open book and a candle. The figures are labelled, including Luther, Melanchthon, Calvin, Beza, Wycliffe, and Jan Hus. It is held by the Society of Antiquaries of London at Burlington House.

Why it matters

The painting shows how, more than two centuries after his death, Hus was claimed by Protestant tradition as one of its founding figures, grouped alongside reformers who came long after him. It reflects how English and Continental Protestants constructed a shared history for their movement.

Look closer

  • Why might the artist have chosen to show these men together even though they lived in different centuries?
  • What does the burning candle in the painting seem to symbolise?
  • What does this grouping leave out about the real differences between these reformers?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Jan Hus on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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