Peter and John Heal a Cripple at the Gate of the Temple 

Bartholomeus Spranger rendered 'Peter and John Heal a Cripple at the Gate of the Temple’ with pen and brown ink, heightened with white gouache, on blue paper. The drama in this image is all in the making. Spranger has used the drawn line as a means to create a powerful scene of divine intervention, as an action of human kindness ripples through the image. The artist has used the pen to render the figures with rapid strokes, conveying energy and emotion through the very act of mark-making. Note how the stark white gouache highlights the figures, focusing our attention and infusing the scene with an ethereal quality. Spranger has also used blue paper for the background, a conscious choice that demonstrates how the artist's intent and chosen materials come together to underscore the drawing’s spiritual content. We can recognize how the artist combined a traditional religious subject with meticulous artistry, elevating the everyday to the divine. Spranger masterfully combined his skilled traditions with that of fine arts, showcasing the expressive potential inherent in the medium.