Sankt Matthias 1598 - 1601

Nicolaes de Bruyn made this engraving of Saint Matthias in the Netherlands, sometime around the turn of the seventeenth century. The image presents us with a fascinating set of visual codes and cultural references. Matthias, identifiable by his halo, holds an axe, the instrument of his martyrdom, and a book, likely representing his evangelistic mission. In the background, we see a city consumed by flames. Given the period and location in which this print was made, this is likely a reference to the religious and political upheavals of the Reformation, and the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain. Prints like this one served to visually represent and disseminate religious and political ideas during this tumultuous period. The historian can use such images to better understand the ways in which religious figures were understood, and how those understandings were shaped by the social and political contexts in which they were produced.