Lot en zijn dochters c. 1560

Cornelis Cort created this engraving, "Lot and His Daughters," sometime between 1533 and 1578, and it now resides in the Rijksmuseum. The stark monochromatic medium heightens the dramatic tension of the biblical scene. Cort masterfully uses line and shadow to define the figures of Lot and his daughters, huddled beneath the gnarled branches of a tree. Note the contrasting emotional states: one daughter swoons with sorrow, while the other offers her father a drink, their robes rendered with precise, almost sculptural lines. Cort's composition reflects the Mannerist style, where the figures are arranged not for naturalism but to convey heightened emotion. The burning city of Sodom in the background acts as a stark reminder of the moral decay the figures are fleeing, a theme reinforced by the incestuous act about to occur. The engraving, in its formal tension, becomes a potent symbol of moral crisis and the breakdown of societal norms. Through Cort's skilled hand, the scene transcends mere narrative, becoming a meditation on human frailty and ethical collapse.