Constantijn en de H. Helena 1644 - 1661

Wenceslaus Hollar created this small etching of Constantine and Saint Helena sometime in the 17th century. It presents us with a tangle of political, religious, and dynastic concerns. The image shows Constantine, the first Christian Roman Emperor, kneeling before the cross, which his mother, Helena, is said to have discovered. Hollar made this print while working in Antwerp, part of the Spanish Netherlands, a region embroiled in religious and political conflict. Here, the Catholic Church deployed images like this to reinforce its authority amid the rise of Protestantism. Constantine’s embrace of Christianity was interpreted as divine sanction for earthly rulers. Note that the inscription at the top is both in Latin, the language of the Church, and in Dutch, the language of the people. Understanding such an image requires us to look at the political and religious history of the period, consulting sources from theological treatises to political pamphlets to fully grasp its meaning and impact. The image reminds us that artistic expression is always embedded in a specific historical context, one that shapes both its creation and reception.