Heilige Ursula after 1626

This small print of Saint Ursula is undated and the artist is unknown. The composition centres on Saint Ursula. Light radiates around her head, creating a halo effect with sharp, linear strokes which contrasts with the soft curves of her hair and garments. She is depicted holding an arrow, a conventional signifier of her martyrdom. The artist uses a combination of linear hatching and cross-hatching to define form and shadow. Observe how the lines create a sense of depth and texture, particularly in the drapery and the saint’s ornate attire. This is a semiotic system of signs that are cultural codes of how saints are seen and represented. The image operates within a visual language that would have been immediately recognizable to its contemporary audience. The composition and formal qualities of the print are not merely aesthetic choices. They invite a meditation on the themes of faith, martyrdom, and divine grace and reinforce the symbolic meaning within a larger cultural and philosophical discourse.