The Raising of Lazarus

Fernando Gallego painted this Raising of Lazarus around 1488, depicting Christ's greatest miracle before his own Resurrection. The subject demonstrated Christ's power over death and prefigured the general resurrection. Gallego's treatment brings his characteristic intensity to the dramatic moment when Lazarus emerges from the tomb. This work belongs to the Early Renaissance, the transformative period in European art when painters first applied mathematical perspective, naturalistic figure modeling, and archaeological interest in antiquity to the inherited traditions of medieval devotional painting. The tension between Gothic grace and Renaissance structure gives art of this period a distinctive energy.

Oil on panel with Gallego's sharp, angular figure drawing and dramatic staging. The miracle scene combines the wonder of the witnesses with the physical reality of Lazarus's emergence from the tomb.