The Resurrection of Christ

Philip Galle engraved this plate based on a drawing by painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicting Christ’s resurrection. An angel levitates above the massive rock that has just been miraculously moved from Christ’s tomb. Soldiers at a humble campsite sleep or react with disbelief. Galle’s technique was influenced by Giorgio Ghisi, who worked in the same Antwerp print workshop for a period. Like Ghisi, Galle covered nearly the entire surface of the copperplate, but his rich chiaroscuro (light and shadow) relied on shorter, denser strokes.

A vertically oriented engraving in black ink depicts a religious scene against a jagged, rocky landscape. Above, a figure rises within a radiant burst of light. Below and center, a winged angel sits on a stone block before a dark cave. In the foreground, armored men lie in various poses of sleep. On the far right, robed figures approach from a distance, while a city sits on the horizon beneath a rising sun.

The Resurrection of Christ

c. 1562

Philip Galle, Pieter Bruegel

(Flemish, 1537–1612), (Netherlandish, c. 1525/30–1569)

Netherlands, 16th century

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