De heilige Andreas 1601

This small print of Saint Andrew carrying his cross was made around 1600 by Franz Aspruck. It portrays the apostle, a follower of Jesus, who, according to tradition, was martyred on an X-shaped cross. Prints like this were widely circulated in Europe at the time. They could be devotional images, or function as a means of spreading religious ideas during the Counter-Reformation. Andrew is shown in a moment of quiet contemplation, bearing the symbol of his future martyrdom. The landscape around him is sketchy, and minimal, serving only to emphasize Andrew himself. To understand this print fully, we might delve into the history of the Catholic Church in the Low Countries at this time. Or we might research the popular religious imagery of the period, examining how artists sought to inspire faith through emotional and dramatic depictions of biblical figures. It reminds us that our understanding of art is always enriched by understanding its social and institutional context.