St. Fransiscus Xaverius geneest een waanzinnige 1650 - 1700

Susanna Verbruggen created this small etching, St. Franciscus Xaverius Healing a Madman, sometime in the early 18th century. Verbruggen lived during the Dutch Golden Age, a time of immense artistic production, yet women artists like her faced significant barriers to recognition. This print depicts a scene of supposed healing, but it's worth considering how "madness" was understood, and often stigmatized, in the 17th and 18th centuries. Mental illness was frequently attributed to moral failings or demonic possession, leading to social exclusion and inhumane treatment. The print reinforces the power dynamics of the era, showing a male saint as a figure of authority. The gazes of the figures invite us to consider faith, healing, and the othering of those deemed "mad." How does the artist negotiate her position as a woman within these established, often patriarchal, narratives? Ultimately, Verbruggen's print serves as a window into the complex interplay of religion, gender, and the treatment of mental illness in the Dutch Golden Age.