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Faith and Devotion more
devotion, nuns, people, women, christianity, staircases, religion, obedience, devotion
We see a nun, hooded and with a long robe, at the foot of a grand spiral staircase, perhaps in an abbey or cathedral. She holds a rosary, a string of beads with a cross on it, in one hand, and her other arm is stretched out as if she is about to dip it into a bowl that’s half-way up the wall in an arched doorway.
Through the entrance we see a tall candle and a crucifix, and perhaps a prayer stool.
The caption is Frömmigkeil Pielà, which is a German phrase combining religious piety (the first word) and devotion (the second).
The impression in the book has remains of plate-wash: the areas between the lines of the engraving are grey, darker than the paper, except in the highlighted areas. This was (and remains) a relatively labour-intensive technique, requiring applying a thin layer of ink with brush of cloth after the main inking. For best reproduction, use light grey paper or darken the picture a little: the grey still remains, but on a digital display is much brighter than in the book.