Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileHeilige Maximilianus weigert te offeren aan Mars
About This Work
The scene shows Saint Maximilian in his bishop's mitre and cope, holding a small crucifix as he rejects the demand to worship a pagan idol. A Roman official standing under a canopy points toward a statue of Mars on a pedestal, while several figures kneel in the foreground in attitudes of prayer or distress. The background features a detailed Renaissance cityscape with a tall bell tower and classical architecture.
Aegidius Sadeler was the principal engraver at the court of Rudolf II in Prague, a major center for late Renaissance hermeticism and natural philosophy. While primarily a hagiographic work, the print reflects the tensions between classical pagan antiquity and Christian piety, a central theme in the intellectual life of the Rudolfine circle.
Inscriptions(Latin)
S. MAXIMILIANVS ARCHIEP. LAVREACENSIS. M. Ardens Illyrici cum ferueret ira tyranni, Et meteret totos falx Deciana greges, Territa gens CHRISTI per et inuia et auia fugit, Ausa (nefas) stygio pars adolere Ioui. Presulis erubuit tormentis cedere VIRTVS, Mille parata cruces, milleq. ferre neces. Macte esto tantis, MAXAEMILIANE, triumphis, MORTVA IAM MORS EST, NON MORIETVR HONOS.
Translation
ST. MAXIMILIAN, ARCHBISHOP OF LAURIACUM, MARTYR. When the burning wrath of the Illyrian tyrant raged, And the Decian sickle reaped entire flocks, The terrified people of CHRIST fled through both pathless and remote places, A part daring (a sin) to burn incense to the Stygian Jove. The VIRTUE of the Prelate blushed to yield to torments, Prepared to bear a thousand crosses, and a thousand deaths. Blessed be thou in such great triumphs, MAXIMILIAN, DEATH IS NOW DEAD, HONOUR SHALL NOT DIE.
Connected Texts
Rudolf II of Prague
Aegidius Sadeler was the imperial engraver for Rudolf II, whose court was the most significant center for esoteric study in the early 17th century.
Collections
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
width 156 mm x height 220 mm
religious
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.