Saint Christopher carrying the Christ child across a stream, another man holding a lantern at left on the riverbank

About this artwork

This engraving depicts Saint Christopher carrying the Christ Child across a stream, with another man holding a lantern at left on the riverbank. Created by Rombout Eynhouts between 1636 and 1680 after a design by Peter Paul Rubens, the work measures approximately fifteen by nine inches. The composition shows the muscular saint wading through turbulent waters while bearing the divine child on his shoulders, a lantern-bearing hermit witnessing the miraculous crossing from the shore. The print bear...

Art Historical Context

Step into the dramatic world of Flemish Baroque art with this etching *Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child Across a Stream Created by engraver Rombout Eynhoudts (1613–1680) after a design by the masterful Peter Paul Rubens (157–1640), the-state print from around 1636–80 the giant saint muscling through churning waters, the young Jesus perched confidently on his shoulders. On the riverbank, a hermit clutches a lantern, illuminating this miraculous moment of divine burden-bearing. Rubens's original composition graced the outer wings of an altarpiece in Antwerp's Church of the Virgin, in...

About the Artist

Peter Paul Rubens|Rombout Eynhoudts · 1577–1640

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) stands as the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition and the greatest exponent of Baroque painting's dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Born in Siegen, Westphalia, and raised in Antwerp, Rubens received a humanist education studying Latin and classical literature before pursuing artistic training under three masters: Tobias Verhaecht, Adam ...