Christ Healing at the Pool of Bethesda 1520 - 1566

Lambert Lombard created this print, “Christ Healing at the Pool of Bethesda,” sometime in the 16th century. It depicts a biblical scene rendered through the lens of the Italian Renaissance, a style Lombard became known for. The print illustrates a moment of divine intervention, yet it is grounded in a very human narrative of suffering and hope. Christ's presence brings a promise of healing to the marginalized, those afflicted by illness who seek solace at the pool. The emotional weight of the scene is carried by the figure in the foreground, burdened and bent over. This figure becomes a symbol of the intersectional experience of suffering, one that encompasses physical ailment, social exclusion, and the desperate longing for reprieve. Lombard seems to ask, "Who are the people who are healed, and who are the people who aren't?" This work encapsulates the power of art to explore both the spiritual and the material conditions of human existence. It invites us to reflect on the systems of care, or lack thereof, that define a society.