The Betrayal

About this work

This engraving shows a chaotic crowd of people tangled together. In the center, two men stand out—one holding a staff, the other a child. Around them, others reach out, some with weapons, others with outstretched hands. The background is packed with buildings, ships, and more figures, all drawn in sharp, dark lines. Notice how the artist used lots of thin, crisscrossed lines to build up shadows and texture—this is called cross-hatching. It makes the scene feel dense and busy. Try looking up cross-hatching to see how this technique works in other prints.