Saint Gregory and other saints in front of a gateway with a portrait of the Virgin, cherubs overhead 1631 - 1680

This is “Saint Gregory and other saints in front of a gateway with a portrait of the Virgin, cherubs overhead,” a monochromatic print made by Rombout Eynhoudts. Immediately, one notices how Eynhoudts masterfully plays with light and shadow to create depth and draw our eyes to Saint Gregory. The semiotic structure of this piece rests on a visual binary, as sacred and secular, earthly and divine are carefully orchestrated. Note how the artist uses the archway as a symbolic threshold. Below, Saint Gregory is surrounded by other saints, rendered in a naturalistic style. Above, the Virgin Mary is presented in an idealized portrait, watched over by cherubs. Eynhoudts presents a complex interplay between representation and reality. The archway and frame around the portrait suggest an opening, a passage to another realm. This metafictional element invites us to consider the nature of art itself, its ability to mediate between our world and the divine. This work destabilizes any fixed notion of sanctity, instead presenting it as a fluid concept.