Marteling van de H. Agatha 1567 - 1602

This engraving of the martydom of St. Agatha was created by Cornelis Cort in 1567. It depicts Agatha, a Christian saint, undergoing torture for her religious beliefs. The pincers gripping her breasts is the most dominant symbol. This motif of bodily harm and the female form evokes powerful cultural memories. Consider the Greek myth of Philomela, whose tongue was cut out. Or the countless images of violated female saints throughout the ages. The psychological impact of such scenes is profound, tapping into collective fears and anxieties surrounding vulnerability, suffering, and the violation of the body. Interestingly, the pincers reappears in later works, not as a symbol of torture, but as an attribute of St. Agatha herself, holding them as emblems of her martyrdom. The symbol has come full circle, evolving from an instrument of suffering to a badge of honor, encapsulating the cyclical nature of symbols as they are reinterpreted across time and cultural contexts.