Fotoreproductie van een prent door B. Desnoyers van een schilderij van Margaretha van Antiochië door Rafaël before 1869

This is Joseph Cundall's photographic reproduction of B. Desnoyer's print of Raphael's painting of Saint Margaret of Antioch. Let’s consider this image of Saint Margaret, as it moves through various hands and mediums. Raphael painted her, Desnoyers made a print, and Cundall photographed the print. We begin to see how the representation of a female saint is mediated through a series of artistic interpretations and technological processes. Margaret, who stands triumphant over a dragon, embodies female strength and religious devotion. Her story, popularized in medieval legends, speaks to themes of perseverance and faith in the face of adversity. While Raphael’s original painting would have been commissioned by the church, consider how the reproductions democratize access to religious imagery. This also shifts the work into a commodity to be bought and sold. The photograph, in turn, further flattens and disseminates the image. The photograph serves as a reminder of how images of women, especially within religious contexts, are subject to constant reinterpretation and circulation.