Heilige Hiltrude van Liessies 1581 - 1633

Theodoor Galle produced this engraving of Heilige Hiltrude van Liessies, sometime around the turn of the 17th century in the Netherlands. It depicts Hiltrude holding a censer and a quill pen while angels hover above her. But who was Hiltrude and why was she being memorialized in print? The answer lies in the religious and political landscape of the time. Galle produced many prints for the Catholic Church, and the veneration of saints was actively promoted to counter the rise of Protestantism. The work idealizes a female figure, perhaps to serve as a role model within the Catholic community. As historians, we must research the local context. Exploring religious texts and historical accounts of the period would shed more light on the meaning and significance of this print. It's a reminder that art is never created in a vacuum but is deeply intertwined with the social and institutional forces of its time.