Saint Peter Healing the Sick with His Shadow

Art Historical Context

This 16th-century engraving captures the biblical miracle of Saint Peter healing the sick simply by casting his shadow over them, a scene drawn from the Acts of the Apostles. Created by Philip Galle after a design by the Dutch artist Maerten van Heemskerck, the print reflects the Northern Renaissance interest in dramatic religious narratives. Van Heemskerck, active during a period of artistic transition, often infused his compositions with dynamic movement and expressive figures that Galle skillfully translated into the precise lines of engraving. Engravings like this one played a vital role in spreading artistic and devotional imagery across Europe. As a reproductive print, it allowed wider audiences to encounter van Heemskerck’s inventive interpretations beyond the original painting or drawing. The medium’s fine detail and tonal range highlight Galle’s technical mastery, turning a sacred story into an accessible work of art now preserved in the National Gallery of Art’s collection through the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund.

About the Artist

Philip Galle after Maerten van Heemskerck

**Philip Galle (1537–1612)** was a leading Dutch engraver, printmaker, and publisher of the late Renaissance, renowned for his reproductive engravings after prominent painters of his era, including Maerten van Heemskerck. Born in Haarlem, he trained under the humanist and engraver Dirck Volkertsz. Coornhert and began his career producing prints after local artists. Galle established himself as an...