The Work
Doré's Christ Healing the Blind Man (from La Sainte Bible, 1866) depicts Jesus touching the eyes of a blind man in the midst of a pressing crowd, the healed man's upward gaze suggesting the first moment of restored sight. The human scale of the miracle - rendered without spectacle - emphasizes touch and presence over dramatic display.
Biblical Source
John 9:6-7 - "After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 'Go,' he told him, 'wash in the Pool of Siloam'... So the man went and washed, and came home seeing" - is the complete miracle narrative. The healing of a man born blind is a "sign" in John's Gospel pointing to Jesus as "the light of the world" (John 9:5), with the subsequent controversy among the Pharisees about the healing's implications forming the rest of the chapter.
Artist and Iconography
Doré's plate captures the moment of contact: Jesus's hand on the blind man's eyes, the crowd surrounding them with expressions ranging from skepticism to reverence. The healed man's upward gaze toward the source of the light he is beginning to see is the image's theological center.