by Alan Krieger, Theology and Philosophy Librarian
The Hesburgh Libraries has recently acquired a very rare illustrated volume entitled Images des fondatrices, reformatrices ou principales religieuses de tous les ordres de l’eglise (Paris, 1639). It features engraved portraits of 88 female founders of religious orders by the artist Michel van Lochom, an Antwerp native.
The collection includes portraits of such famous women as St. Scholastica, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Teresa of Avila; among those also portrayed is St. Jane Frances de Chantal, whose spiritual director was St. Francis de Sales and who was still living when the book went to press. The fact that the women are often depicted with items and clothing appropriate to their role in the history of spirituality is of particular interest.
Plate 25: St. Scholastica 
Plate 55: St. Catherine of Siena 
Plate 86: St. Jane Frances de Chantal
While the engraved plates include captions in Latin, the Table of Contents (Table des Image contenues au present Livre) for the book lists each women with a description in French. Here, as a comparison, are the first page of the Table and the first illustration of Mary, Mother of God, and “Founder of all Women Religious” (Fondatrice de toutes les Religieuses).
Table of Contents from Images des fondatrices, with descriptions of each plate in French. 
Plate 1: Mary, Mother of God
We have verified only three other copies of this title among North American library holdings.