H. Brigitta van Kildare 1615 - 1676

Theodor Matham created this engraving of H. Brigitta van Kildare during a period of religious and political transformation in the 17th century. Brigid of Kildare lived in fifth-century Ireland and is one of Ireland’s patron saints. Matham’s representation, brimming with Catholic iconography, was produced during the Counter-Reformation. She stands here as an icon of female leadership, holding a bishop’s crosier, and wearing a nun's habit. The cow behind her speaks to Brigid's connection to the land and to agricultural abundance, while the angel holding a child alludes to her role as protector of mothers and infants. These elements emphasize her nurturing role. Yet Brigid was also an Abbess, wielding considerable religious power in a society undergoing significant upheaval. Matham presents us with a complex figure, one who both upholds and transcends the conventional expectations of women, during a period when traditional gender roles were continually being re-evaluated.