St. Christopher

Download3400 × 2089 px View on a wall Edit

Artist: Alaert du Hamel (Netherlandish, 1449–1507)
Medium: Engraving
Culture: Netherlands, 15th century
Museum: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights: CC0 — no rights reserved

Alart Du Hameel was a registered stonemason at Saint John’s Cathedral in s’Hertogenbosch in the southern Netherlands. For this intricately detailed engraving, he was likely inspired by a work by Hieronymus Bosch, who lived in the same city. The bold outlines, fine hatching, and nonnaturalistic water motifs suggest training in both goldsmithing and decorative stonework. The scene teems with merfolk, demons, and fantastical creatures that evoke Bosch’s paintings of hellscapes. At its center, Saint Christopher carries the Christ child across a river, following a hermit’s advice (seen at left) to serve the world’s most powerful king.