Portret van Innocentius de Calataverone, generaal der Capucijnen 1620 - 1666

Philip Fruytiers made this engraving of Innocentius de Calataverone, a Capuchin general, in Antwerp sometime in the mid-17th century. This was a period when the Catholic Church was reasserting itself after the challenges of the Reformation. The print presents Innocentius as a figure of pious authority. His simple Capuchin robe and tonsured hair speak to a life of humility and devotion, while the inscription below proclaims his high office. Consider the setting in which this image would have circulated: likely among members of the Capuchin order or other devout Catholics in Antwerp, a city that remained a stronghold of Catholicism in the Spanish Netherlands. Prints like this one played a crucial role in shaping religious identity and reinforcing institutional power. To understand its full significance, one might delve into the history of the Capuchin order, or the cultural politics of 17th-century Antwerp, drawing on archival sources, religious treatises, and other visual materials. In doing so, we recognize that this is not merely a portrait of an individual, but a reflection of a specific time and place.