Northern European School of the 18th century."Saint Helena".Etching on vellum with hand-illuminated borders.Measurements: 15,5 x 11,5 cm; 18,5 x 13,5 cm.A beautiful and subtle border of flowers in the purest Baroque style contains the engraved image, and later illuminated by hand, of Saint Helena, empress of the Roman Empire, and mother of the emperor Constantine the Great. Born the lowest of the commoners, possibly in Drepana, Bithynia in Asia Minor, she became the consort of the future Roman Emperor Constantius Chlorus (reigned 293-306) and the mother of the future Emperor Constantine the Great (reigned 306-337). Helena is an important figure in the history of Christianity and the world because of her influence on her son. In her later years, she made a religious tour of Syria, Palaestina and Jerusalem, during which she supposedly discovered the True Cross. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion venerate her as a saint; the Lutheran Church commemorates her.