H. Eustachia 1565 - 1630

Antonio Tempesta created this print of H. Eustachia in the late 16th or early 17th century using etching and engraving. The image depicts Saint Eustachia kneeling in prayer before a landscape. Tempesta was working in Italy at a time when the Catholic Church was trying to revitalize itself through the Counter-Reformation. Saints became a popular subject as the church tried to connect directly with the people. But rather than depicting an iconic scene from the saint's life, Tempesta offers us a moment of quiet devotion. The detailed rendering of the landscape reminds us of the importance of the natural world in religious experience. The architecture in the background places the saint in a specific place and time, suggesting the importance of history to religious belief. To understand this print better, one could research the history of the Counter-Reformation, the lives of the saints, and the development of landscape art in Italy. Each of these would provide a clearer sense of the image's historical and cultural context.