The Light Of The World
Original title: The Light Of The World
kurzbeschreibung
Etienne Fessard published his engraving Das Licht der Welt in 1761. It shows the birth of Christ, with Mary, Joseph and other figures arranged in a symmetrical layout. The print is an engraving on paper.
Description
Mary holds the newborn Jesus and anchors the middle of the image. Joseph kneels to her left, while a woman with a tablet stands to her right. An old man, likely Zacharias, has taken a place in the background. Angels hover above Mary and watch the event. The arrangement is balanced around the Christ child, and light falls from above to single him out.
Context
The sheet comes from France in 1761, when religious printmaking was widely circulated. Fessard was prolific and mostly made reproductions after paintings. The birth of Christ was a common subject in 18th-century Catholic art, serving both private devotion and church instruction.
Impact
Deep shading and light radiating from the center create a prayerful, collected mood. Calm and dignity arise from the even arrangement. The viewer's gaze settles on the Christ child, meant as the light of the world.
Technique
For this print, lines were engraved into a copper plate and then printed. Fine hatching builds tone and shadow and gives the figures their modeling. The range of grays and the contrast between light and dark follow the usual method of this technique.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)