De heilige Philippus plaatst zich onder de hoede van Maagd Maria 1591

Antonio Tempesta created this small etching titled "The Holy Philip Places Himself Under the Protection of the Virgin Mary" sometime between 1570 and 1630. The print participates in a long history of images produced within, and for, the Catholic Church, specifically during the Counter-Reformation, when art was mobilized to assert core Catholic doctrines. We see Saint Philip kneeling before an apparition of the Virgin and Child. An inscription at the bottom dedicates the image to the family who abandoned medicine to serve the Virgin. Tempesta, who was working in Rome, had a knack for battle scenes and landscapes. His ability to create dynamic compositions made his prints popular. This image is a reminder of the deep intertwining of religious belief and social practice in early modern Europe. To understand images like this, historians delve into religious texts, social histories, and the patronage networks that sustained artists like Tempesta. In doing so, we come to understand the power of art to shape belief and influence social behavior.