Artwork
Christ Rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees
Christ Rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees 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 Rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees is an engraving created by Léonard Gaultier, a French engraver active in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a scene where a central figure, likely Christ, addresses a crowd, pointing upwards while holding a small box. The surrounding figures react with gestures of attention and devotion, set against a backdrop of a hillside town.
Technique & Style
Gaultier's engraving is characterized by precise, formal lines and cross-hatching, which creates texture and shading. The figures' stiff poses and attire suggest a formal, illustrative style, reminiscent of the work of Wierix and Crispyn van de Passe.
History & Provenance
Gaultier produced the engraving around 1578, during his early career. Born in Mainz around 1561, he worked in Paris until his death in 1641, producing a large body of work marked by technical rigor.
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.
