1510
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan is a 1510 ink by Lucas van Leyden, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white scene shows a crowd gathered by a riverbank. In the center, a bearded man in robes holds up a baby while a woman in a long dress stands beside him. Around them, people in old-fashioned clothes watch closely—some kneeling, others standing. The background has trees and a distant town. Notice the tiny details in the faces and clothing, all carved into the metal plate. The artist used fine lines to show texture, like fabric folds and hair. Look up engraving to see how this technique works.
Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very accomplished engraver.
See the richer artist page
