Heilige Agnes met lam staand tussen brandende takken 1623 - 1660

Curator: Here we have "Heilige Agnes met lam staand tussen brandende takken," or Saint Agnes with a Lamb Standing Amidst Burning Branches. This engraving, attributed to Pieter de Bailliu, was likely created sometime between 1623 and 1660. Editor: The overall tone of this work, to me, is… triumphant! Despite the burning pyre she stands on, Agnes has this look of serene certainty, almost like she's daring us to doubt her conviction. Curator: Indeed, the burning branches speak directly to the story of Saint Agnes, a virgin martyr who, according to legend, was miraculously saved from being burned at the stake. The lamb she cradles, well, that’s one of her key attributes, representing her innocence and purity – ‘Agnus Dei,’ Lamb of God. Editor: That tension between the lamb and the flames is… striking. Purity contrasted against purification. How are we meant to understand the fire surrounding Agnes, then, if not as destructive? As transformative? Was De Bailliu thinking about wider political changes, perhaps anxieties about religion? Curator: Perhaps. It's easy to forget how fraught faith could be. I'm particularly drawn to how De Bailliu renders the flames; they almost feel alive, curling and licking around her. You feel both the danger and, paradoxically, a kind of protective embrace. Editor: Right, as an activist, it is my job to point out that saints are rarely simple. Agnes, like many virgin martyrs, became a symbol for resisting patriarchal expectations about women's bodies and roles. Her defiance – that unflinching gaze upwards – spoke to centuries of women who fought for autonomy, both within and outside religious frameworks. Curator: Absolutely. And looking at the technical aspects, the meticulous detail of the engraving, all those tiny lines creating textures...it adds to that sense of almost unbearable clarity, doesn't it? Nothing is hidden. Everything is laid bare, faith, violence, the artist's skill. It's quite intense, in a quiet sort of way. Editor: It's an image that continues to challenge viewers. How do we reconcile violence with holiness? How do we interpret a figure who simultaneously embodies submission and fierce resistance? Curator: Food for thought indeed! Perhaps a little of both is the only honest way to navigate a life with meaning and purpose.