Artwork
Christ Heals a Sick Woman
Christ Heals a Sick Woman is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Léonard Gaultier. It dates from 1578 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Christ Heals a Sick Woman is an engraving executed by the French printmaker Léonard Gaultier around 1578. The work belongs to the religious genre and portrays a biblical healing episode. Produced during Gaultier’s early career, the print reflects the meticulous line work typical of late‑sixteenth‑century engravers.
Subject & Meaning
The composition gathers a crowd around a central figure, identified as Christ, who holds a staff and is approached by a woman seeking cure.
The composition gathers a crowd around a central figure, identified as Christ, who holds a staff and is approached by a woman seeking cure. Several onlookers kneel or touch the saint’s robe, emphasizing the miracle’s communal impact. The surrounding landscape, with a solitary tree and distant livestock, situates the event in a pastoral setting, underscoring the theme of divine compassion extended to ordinary people.
Technique & Style
Created entirely with a graver on a metal plate, the print displays fine, controlled lines that build tonal contrast through cross‑hatching. Gaultier’s handling of shading produces a clear sense of depth, while the overall composition retains a formal, somewhat rigid quality reminiscent of the Wierix and Crispyn van de Passe families, whose influence is evident in the precise yet static figures.
History & Provenance
Born in Mainz circa 1561, Gaultier worked in Paris until his death in 1641, producing a substantial body of work that included both portraiture and religious subjects. He typically designed and signed his prints, and this engraving bears his signature, confirming its attribution. The piece circulated among collectors of devotional images in the late Renaissance period.
Context
The engraving aligns with the Counter‑Reformation’s emphasis on visual narratives that reinforced biblical miracles and the authority of Christ. By rendering a familiar Gospel episode in a detailed, reproducible format, Gaultier contributed to the spread of religious imagery beyond painted altarpieces, catering to a market for portable, affordable devotional prints.
Artist & collection
Artist
Léonard Gaultier, or, as he sometimes signed himself, Galter, a French engraver, was born at Mainz about 1561, and died in Paris in 1641.
