The Resurrection of Christ
Medium
Etching from two plates in black on two sheets of ivory laid paper, joined at the center
Dimensions
Image: 64 × 45.4 cm (25 1/4 × 17 7/8 in.); Sheets, joined: 74.4 × 52.3 cm (29 5/16 × 20 5/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
24245
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This massive vertical two-sheet etching makes Jesus Christ’s triumphant return from the dead truly monumental through both its scale and stark network of raised black lines. The rough-hewn feel of the technique befits this reworking of Frans Floris’s hypermuscular angels and blindingly bright vision of the ascending Christ. The soldiers recoil in amazement, as one attempts to shield himself from the light. Floris is credited at lower right. The etcher, Lucas van Doetecum, is unnamed; he worked i...
Art Historical Context
This monumental etching, created by Lucas van Doetecum in 1557, captures the dramatic moment of Christ’s resurrection, a central theme in Christian art. Van Doetecum, a skilled Flemish printmaker active during the Northern Renaissance, produced this large-scale work a time when religious imagery played a vital role in both devotion and education across Europe. The scene’s towering composition would have invited viewers to reflect on themes of renewal and faith. Printed from two separate plates on ivory laid paper that was carefully joined at the center, the etching demonstrates the technical ambition of 16th-century printmaking. This method allowed for impressive size while maintaining the fine, expressive lines characteristic of etching. Such prints made complex religious narratives accessible beyond church walls, reaching a broader audience through the growing print trade. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago’s Department of Prints and Drawings, the work highlights the enduring power of graphic art to convey spiritual stories with both precision and emotional resonance.
About the Artist
Lucas van Doetecum · 1516–1570
Lucas van Doetecum was a Flemish printmaker and etcher active primarily in Antwerp during the mid-to-late sixteenth century. He is best known as the brother and frequent collaborator of Joannes van Doetecum the Elder (c. 1530–1605), with whom he formed one of the most productive engraving workshops of the period. The brothers originated from Deventer and relocated to Antwerp, where they worked for...