Christus en Maria en Johannes de Doper met heiligen Paulus en Catharina van Alexandrië 1520 - 1575

This anonymous engraving presents us with Christ, Mary, John the Baptist, Paul, and Catherine of Alexandria. Christ ascends, haloed in light, arms raised in a gesture that echoes the ancient orans pose, a posture of prayer and supplication found in early Christian art and even pagan antiquity. This gesture, connecting the divine to the earthly, reappears across centuries, morphing from humble plea to triumphant ascension. Consider how the halo, a symbol borrowed from Roman imperial art, marks divinity. Here, it encircles not only Christ but also other holy figures, signifying their sanctified status. This visual language, laden with historical weight, evolves, adapting to new cultural contexts while retaining its primal power to evoke awe and reverence. These symbols, ingrained in our collective memory, tap into subconscious associations, creating a powerful, timeless dialogue between the viewer and the divine.