A hand-coloured woodcut depicting the Noli me tangere, created by Dutch printer Doen Pietersz. in the early sixteenth century.

This hand-coloured woodcut by the Dutch printer and publisher Doen Pietersz. depicts the Noli me tangere, the moment following the Resurrection when Christ appears to Mary Magdalene. The scene is rendered with the characteristic directness of early sixteenth-century Northern European book illustration. Christ stands to the left, gesturing upwards, while Mary Magdalene kneels before him, her posture conveying a mixture of recognition and hesitation.

The composition is defined by clear, assertive lines typical of the woodcut medium. The artist employs a simplified spatial arrangement, placing the figures against a backdrop of rolling hills and a distant architectural cluster. The application of colour, likely added by hand after the initial printing, provides a distinct visual rhythm to the garments and the surrounding terrain. The use of a limited palette of reds, greens, and ochres serves to define the forms without obscuring the underlying graphic work.

Doen Pietersz. was active in Amsterdam during the first half of the sixteenth century, producing numerous works that served to illustrate religious texts for a contemporary audience. This print reflects the functional nature of such imagery, which was intended to accompany devotional reading. The figures are depicted with a focus on narrative clarity rather than anatomical precision, a common trait in the popular print culture of the period. The inclusion of the basket near Mary Magdalene identifies her traditional role, while the halo surrounding Christ provides the necessary theological context. This piece offers a glimpse into the visual language of the Dutch Reformation era, where woodcuts functioned as accessible conduits for biblical stories. The print remains a representative example of the technical and stylistic conventions employed by printers in the Low Countries during this period.