Christus geneest een man bij het bad van Betesda

About this artwork

collector's mark: Lugt 240

Art Historical Context

Created around 1540–1550 by the Italian printmaker Niccolò Vicentino, this chiaroscuro woodcut captures the biblical moment when Christ heals a paralysed man at the Pool of Bethesda. The scene, drawn from the Gospel of John, emphasises themes of mercy and renewal that resonated deeply with Renaissance audiences seeking spiritual comfort. Vicentino specialised in the demanding chiaroscuro technique, which employs multiple woodblocks inked in successive tones to mimic the subtle gradations of a wash drawing. Printed in warm sepia hues, the sheet achieves a luminous, almost painterly effect within its modest 272 × 209 mm format. Such prints allowed collectors to own affordable yet sophisticated reproductions of grand compositional ideas, bridging the gap between painting and the growing market for graphic art. Today the work stands as a fine example of mid-sixteenth-century Italian printmaking, illustrating how artists adapted monumental religious narratives to the intimate scale of the woodcut.