In the early modern ages, new developments were being made each day to further society. During this era, people were coming up with all types of new things including scientific inventions, religious communities, social statuses, and merchant practices. Timothy Brook ties all of these components into his 2008 book, Vermeer’s Hat. In his work, he begins to explore the inner workings of the 16th and 17th centuries using a metaphor of “Indra’s Net.” Brook compares Indra’s net to the endless connections that are exhibited within the universe. Indra’s net is a Buddhist symbol that shows a net with a reflective jewel at each vertex. Within each jewel, hundreds of other jewels can be seen, which applies to the belief that everything is always connected.…show more content… He translated the New Testament of The Bible in 1519 and preached the idea that each individual should have their own relationship with God, having no one else involved. Eventually in 1521, Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, and the rise of Calvinism began. John Calvin brought the theory of “predestination,” to Europe and explained it as the idea that God already has planned who is going to Heaven and who is going to Hell. Calvin believed that neither oneself or a priest could change where they ended up after death. In the predestination theory, a person’s destiny depends on their financial status. One of Vermeer’s paintings, Woman Holding a Balance, represents the influence of Calvinism during this era. The painting portrays an image of a woman weighing her silver coins. Wealth and money are the center of the painting, with pearls and thick fabrics being present. As the lady in the image is measuring how much money she has, in the way of Calvinism, she is also measuring her worth. Behind the woman is a great piece of art with Jesus Christ on it, who seems as if he is looking down on
