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Original fileWoman with an Issue of Blood
Bloedvloeiende vrouw Beroemde vrouwen uit het Nieuwe Testament (serietitel) Gelijckenis van den verlooren penningh, en verlooren soon (titel op object) Den Grooten Emblemata Sacra, bestaande in meer dan vier hondert b
after Hendrick Goltzius
About This Work
An engraving showing a woman in three-quarter length, peering downward while holding a lit candle to illuminate her search. In her right hand she holds a broom, signifying the diligent sweeping of the house to find the lost object. The print is embedded within a page of Dutch text including a moralizing verse and a detailed prose commentary.
This work reflects the 'Spiritualist' environment of late 16th-century Haarlem, particularly the circle of Dirck Volckertsz Coornhert. The coin is interpreted as the 'imago dei' (image of God) or the divine spark within the human soul, which must be recovered through inner purification and the light of faith.