The Three Marias Returning from the Tomb of Christ

This print was made after a painting by Bartholomeus Spranger from 1598 (now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna) that had formed part of an altarpiece fashioned for the capitular Church of All Saints at Prague Castle. Sadeler’s ability to transcribe the artist’s distinctive style into the engraved medium, including the light−shadow contrasts was widely acclaimed. In this print, Spranger used delicate lines to express the dramatic gradation of light tones, ranging from a sun−lit background to the chiaroscuro effect of the women’s clothing.