The Savior Standing with the Globe and Cross in His Left Hand c. 1510

Lucas van Leyden created this print, "The Savior Standing with the Globe and Cross in His Left Hand," at a time when the Renaissance was transforming European art and thought. During this period, there was a renewed interest in classical antiquity, and simultaneously, artists began to explore individual expression and humanist ideals. Van Leyden, positioned in this cultural milieu, merges religious iconography with a developing sense of personal and artistic identity. The figure of Christ is rendered with a naturalistic gaze and bodily form, departing from earlier, more stylized depictions. But consider the globe and cross. The symbols are heavy with the weight of colonial ambition, as Christianity spread alongside European exploration and conquest. Van Leyden’s work stands at an intersection of faith, power, and representation, urging us to think about the stories we tell and the histories they carry.