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Christ Healing the Lame [verso]

German 16th Century

1600

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Baroque Baroque Religious

Dominant colour

Christ Healing the Lame [verso] is a 1600 ink by German 16th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: German 16th Century
When & what style?: 1600 · Baroque
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This scene is packed with people in a dim, crowded space. In the center, a robed figure kneels while another person in fancy clothes reaches toward them—maybe giving help or a gift. Around them, others watch closely, some pointing or holding objects. The background has a raised platform with more figures, including one standing on a step reading from a book. The whole image is drawn with fine lines and shading, giving it a textured, almost carved look. The artist used lots of tiny parallel lines to build up shadows and details, a technique called cross-hatching. This makes the scene feel dense and dramatic, like a story unfolding in real time. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how artists create depth with just lines.