Martelaarschap van Adrianus c. 1630 - 1662

Curator: Well, isn't this something? It has that starkness only an engraving can truly capture. Editor: It certainly has a… violent stillness to it. All that cross-hatching only enhances the visceral subject matter, don't you think? Let's tell our listeners what we're looking at here. This engraving, titled “Martelaarschap van Adrianus”— “Martyrdom of Adrianus,” in English—is held in the Rijksmuseum collection. Claude Goyrand likely created this sometime between 1630 and 1662. Curator: Ah yes, Adrianus, or Saint Adrian of Nicomedia, to be precise. Known as a Roman military officer who converted to Christianity and was, shall we say, repaid with rather… permanent consequences. His story—like many saintly tales—hinges on an abrupt transformation, doesn't it? A man of violence becoming a beacon of faith, and of peace. Editor: I notice the axeman’s expression. A grimace or smile? Difficult to discern with such fine lines. Regardless, what resonates for me is how Goyrand renders the very act of martyrdom as both brutal and… strangely transcendent. The angel descending with a wreath implies reward, promising ultimate freedom. Curator: The composition directs us upwards to that floating cherub offering Adrian the martyr’s crown as his hand is severed. Talk about mixed messages! What strikes me most is Adrian's posture: strangely serene amid the brutality, almost receptive. There's an undeniable erotic tension. What do you make of it? Editor: You've struck upon an important tension, that strange confluence of violence, ecstasy, and spiritual reward, common throughout much of religious art, even now. The axe held aloft ready to cleave and a distant tower, silent witness—reminds us of the power structures at play. Who is watching? Who is judging? And what stories do we tell ourselves through these images of suffering? It's rather unsettling. Curator: Unsettling indeed! What an amazing window into the narratives we build—aren't we all characters in somebody's story at the end of the day? Editor: It appears so. Makes you wonder, who’s holding the pen right now?