Heiligen Christophorus en Erasmus, elk met een wapenschild 1510 - 1550

Sebald Beham created this roundel of Saint Christopher and Erasmus using pen and brown ink, with watercolor washes. The composition divides the circular space into two distinct yet interconnected zones. On one side, Saint Erasmus is rendered with a formal rigidity, his posture erect. His presence is balanced by Saint Christopher on the other side, a figure depicted mid-stride, carrying the Christ Child. Beneath each saint, a heraldic shield is placed, adding layers of meaning beyond the purely religious. The restricted palette of browns, greens, and grays gives the piece an understated, almost melancholic mood. The work is not merely a religious depiction; it is an exercise in symbolism and structure, inviting us to consider how the arrangement of figures, colors, and heraldic devices come together to communicate power, faith, and identity. How do these forms create a dialogue around the cultural values and power dynamics of Beham’s time?