Biblical Scenes in Art

A collection of prints depicting biblical narratives, featuring influential figures like Christ, Mary, and shepherds, rendered in dramatic chiaroscuro style.

The Entombment, Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1654 print paper etching / drypoint Christ's entombment (possibly by angels)

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$Christ Appearing to the Apostles, 1650, Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Dutch, 1606-1669, 6 7/16 x 8 3/8 in. (16.4 x 21.2 cm) (plate, and sheet), Etching, The Netherlands, 17th century, These two prints belong to a loosely defined series on the life of Christ. They may be seen as a pendent pair. In both, Christ is revealed in the flesh to ordinary humans, first to the shepherds in the darkness of the Nativity stable, then to his disciples as a man resurrected from the dead in a blaze of light. Rembrandt made both difficult to discern in one due to thick darkness obscuring the gathering of onlookers; in the other due to dissolving light reducing Christ's followers to fractured lines. The simple faith of the shepherds is signaled by the lantern bearer's doff of his cap. The doubts of Thomas are revealed as Christ invites him to probe the lance wound in his side. Though Christ's arrival is in both cases physical, Rembrandt's use of extremes of darkness and light leaves no question that it i$