Starting in the Renaissance, artists were bound to a canon of exemplary motifs and forms, something that again and again provoked counter-reactions. Methods parodying pictures could be used as an intrinsic artistic critique of authorities and aesthetic norms and to articulate claims to autonomy and status. Even though such counter-images were very much present in the early modern period, they have hitherto only rarely been a focus of research.

This volume addresses this desideratum. The case studies make a contribution to understanding pre-modern picture parodies from the perspectives of art history, literary studies, and visual culture by shedding light on their use in discourses on modernization and in specific conflict situations.