Resurrection of Christ

Christ is depicted emerging from a stone sepulcher, surrounded by a radiant halo of light and holding a triumphal banner. Two angels assist by lifting the heavy tomb lid, while Roman guards in the foreground react with astonishment or remain in a deep slumber. In the background to the left, the Three Maries are visible approaching the rocky entrance of the cave.

This engraving belongs to a series where Goltzius intentionally mimicked the style of Lucas van Leyden, reflecting the Renaissance concept of the artist as a 'Protean' figure capable of transforming nature and historical styles. In the Western esoteric tradition, the Resurrection is often interpreted as an archetype for the final stage of the alchemical Great Work—the transition from the darkness of the tomb (nigredo) to the glorified state of the perfected, incorruptible soul.