Heilige Silvia Rufina 1590 - 1662

This engraving of Saint Silvia Rufina was produced anonymously, and we believe it was made sometime in the 17th or 18th century. Silvia Rufina, the mother of Pope Gregory the Great, is depicted here with the instruments of her piety: the crucifix, rosary, and book. But what did it mean to depict a saint in this way in the early modern period? Images such as this one reinforced the Catholic Church’s doctrines and practices, and they helped to shape and sustain religious culture. In countries like the Netherlands, where this image is now held, such devotional images would have been viewed very differently by Catholics and Protestants in light of the Reformation. Understanding the social and religious context of images like this one requires careful historical research. Religious tracts and pamphlets, records of the Inquisition, and even personal diaries can shed light on the politics of imagery in this period.