De heilige Dominicus verdrijft ketterij door middel van de rozenkrans 1610

Here at the Rijksmuseum is Theodoor Galle's engraving, "De heilige Dominicus verdrijft ketterij door middel van de rozenkrans," made around the turn of the 17th century. The composition is structured by a visual contrast between the earthly and the divine. Below, we see a dense congregation listening to Saint Dominic, his figure framed by the architecture of the church. Above, a vision unfolds with the Virgin Mary presiding over a crowd of kneeling figures as demons are expelled. The artist uses line and shadow to create a sense of depth and drama, a powerful vortex that draws the eye upward. This juxtaposition can be interpreted through a structuralist lens. The engraving serves as a semiotic system where the earthly order, represented by the church and its teachings, confronts the chaos of heresy, symbolized by the demons. The Virgin Mary is the linchpin, embodying divine authority and acting as a signifier of the triumph of orthodoxy. Notice how the linear precision and the controlled use of light serve to reinforce a message of order and hierarchical power. This image functions not just as a religious narrative but as a cultural statement, reflecting the period's intense religious and intellectual debates.