Aartsengel Michaël en heiligen onder een monstrans before 1639

Philippe van Mallery created this small engraving, "Archangel Michael and Saints under a Monstrance," sometime around the early 17th century. It depicts Saint Michael, along with Saint Augustine, John Chrysostom, and Norbert of Xanten, adoring a monstrance, a vessel used to display the Eucharist. This image provides insight into the religious climate of the Spanish Netherlands during the Counter-Reformation. The Catholic Church, challenged by the rise of Protestantism, sought to reaffirm its doctrines and practices through art. Van Mallery’s engraving emphasizes the importance of the Eucharist and veneration of saints, key aspects of Catholic belief that were questioned by Protestants. The inclusion of multiple languages in the inscription suggests an effort to reach a broad audience and reinforce Catholic identity across linguistic boundaries. By examining such images alongside historical documents, we can gain a deeper understanding of the social and institutional forces that shaped artistic production and religious life in the early modern period.