Zittende Maria met aureool 1586 - 1633

Cornelis Galle I created this engraving, "Zittende Maria met aureool," which translates to "Seated Mary with Halo," sometime between 1596 and 1650. Galle was part of a prolific family of engravers in Antwerp, a city that was then a center of Catholic Counter-Reformation art. Here, Mary is depicted with an expression of delicate sorrow. Her hands are clasped over her heart, suggesting both piety and the anticipation of suffering. Galle’s Mary exemplifies the ideal of feminine virtue promoted by the Catholic Church at the time. The inscription at the bottom translates to "How beautiful you are, how pleasing, my love, with all your delights! Your stature is like that of the palm, and your breasts like clusters of fruit." This quote, drawn from the Song of Songs, connects Mary to themes of beauty, fertility, and divine love. Consider how Galle uses the visual language of the Church to frame Mary not just as a religious icon, but as an emblem of idealized womanhood. Her beauty and sorrow become a mirror reflecting the complex expectations placed on women during this period.