Triomf van het Geloof before 1591

This is "Triumph of the Faith," an engraving made around the turn of the 17th century by the Flemish artist Hieronymus Wierix. The image is made through the meticulous, physically demanding process of carving lines into a copper plate. The fine detail and tonal range, from the dark foreground to the light-filled sky, would have required tremendous skill. The image teems with symbolism. We see a female allegory of Christian faith, standing triumphant over worldly temptations. In the background, laborers tend crops, a reminder of the agricultural economy of the time. Note that Wierix made many prints in his career – turning out devotional images for a wide audience. This was piecework, and it is worth considering how faith and commerce were intertwined in his practice. The print demonstrates the power of faith to overcome earthly challenges. Yet its very existence as a commodity also reflects the complex relationship between spiritual belief and material production in Wierix's time.