A detailed 1572 engraving by Cornelis Cort, depicting the theological debate over the Sacrament in both celestial and terrestrial registers.

This engraving by Cornelis Cort, dated 1572, reproduces the theological narrative established in Raphael's famous fresco within the Vatican. Cort, a Dutch engraver who spent his final years in Rome, was instrumental in disseminating the compositions of Italian masters to a wider European audience through his technical precision and mastery of the burin.

The composition is divided into two distinct registers. The upper section depicts the celestial realm, where Christ sits in judgement, flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. Surrounding them are various saints and prophets, all set against a backdrop of clouds and angelic figures. The lower section represents the terrestrial sphere, where theologians and church fathers gather around an altar. At the centre of this altar sits the monstrance, the focal point of the Eucharistic debate. The figures below are engaged in study, writing, and discussion, creating a sense of intellectual activity that contrasts with the serene order of the heavens above.

Cort employs a sophisticated system of hatching and cross-hatching to define form and volume. His ability to translate the painterly qualities of the original fresco into the linear language of engraving is evident in the varied textures of the drapery, the musculature of the figures, and the atmospheric rendering of the clouds. The print captures the monumental scale of the original work while adapting it to the intimate format of a paper engraving. The inclusion of Latin inscriptions at the base provides theological context, identifying the figures and the nature of the debate. This work remains a primary example of the collaborative relationship between Italian painting and Northern European printmaking during the sixteenth century.