Lucas van Leyden [key], 1494–1533, Dutch historical and genre painter and engraver. With Lucas, Dutch painting of scenes from daily life may be said to begin. His art is notable for its realistic treatment, dramatic power, and careful execution. He studied with his father, Huig Jacobsz, a Leiden artist, and with Cornelis Engelbrechtsz and soon established himself as an engraver of extraordinary ability, as well as a painter of originality and power. A child prodigy and prolific artist, Lucas executed more than 200 engravings, etchings, and designs for woodcuts, including Mohammed and the Monk (1508), Ecce Homo (1510), and Adam and Eve (1519). From c.1510 his works show the influence of Dürer, whom he met on a visit to Antwerp in 1521. They drew and exchanged portraits of each other. Later Lucas's style reflected his study of the prints of Marcantonio Raimondi. Among his paintings are Moses Striking Water from the Rock (Mus. of Fine Arts, Boston); Chess Game, St. Jerome, and Virgin Enthroned (Berlin); and Last Judgment (Leiden).
See his complete engravings, etchings, and woodcuts, ed. by J. Lavalleye (tr. 1967).
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