Engel met het kruis

A winged figure leans against the heavy, rough-hewn timbers of the True Cross, which dominates the left side of the composition. In the foreground, a decorative pitcher and a shallow dish sit upon a stone plinth, representing the instruments of the Passion. The engraving uses dense cross-hatching to create a sense of physical weight and somber atmosphere.

Aegidius Sadeler was a central figure in the court of Rudolf II in Prague, a major hub for late Renaissance Hermeticism and alchemy. This print belongs to a tradition of contemplating the 'Arma Christi' (Instruments of the Passion), which served as focal points for mystical meditation and the interior spiritual exercises popularized by the Devotio Moderna.