Portret van de H. Nicolaas van Tolentino 1630 - 1654

This engraving portrays Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, his gaze lifted towards a radiant star, while an angel offers him a basket of bread rolls. The star, a beacon in the night sky, has long been associated with divine guidance and hope. It's a symbol that appears in the narratives of many cultures, guiding travelers, marking pivotal moments, and heralding the arrival of important figures. In Christian art, the star often signifies divine intervention or revelation, echoing the star of Bethlehem that guided the Magi. Consider the halo, too, that luminous circle around the saint’s head. It marks him as a figure set apart, a conduit between the earthly and the divine. This symbol, predating Christianity, appears in various forms across ancient cultures. The halo is a visual shorthand for holiness. Symbols like these aren’t static; they evolve, their meanings shifting, merging, and re-emerging across time and space. It is this continual act of transformation that keeps these symbols ever relevant to the human psyche.