The Broad and the Narrow Way

The Broad and the Narrow Way (Der breite und der schmale Weg) is one of the most beloved and intricate Christian allegories ever printed - an entire sermon in a single image, drawn from the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14: "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction... but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life."

Conceived in 1862 by Charlotte Reihlen, a devout philanthropist of Stuttgart who founded a girls' school and a deaconess house, and painted to her direction by the young artist Schacher, the picture became a Victorian phenomenon. A Dutch edition appeared in 1867 and an English edition in 1883; it sold by the tens of thousands and was carried "to the ends of the earth" - the evangelist Gawin Kirkham alone lectured on it more than 900 times.

The design reads like a map of two destinies. From a shared foreground - marked by a two-coloured guide-post and an open Bible - two roads climb the landscape. The broad way, on the left, winds past the ball-room, the theatre, the gaming house and the tavern of "Worldliness," through revelry and war toward a city in flames. The narrow way, on the right, passes the strait gate and the cross, the open church door, the Sunday school and quiet works of charity, rising toward a rainbow, a radiant light, and the Celestial City of the Lamb.

Every corner rewards a closer look: the all-seeing Eye of God set in a blazing triangle overhead; the tables of the Law at the centre; sheaves of corn and grapes (blessing, bread and wine) on one side, thorns, thistles and a serpent (the curse) on the other - the whole scene threaded through with roughly one hundred Bible verses you can actually read off the print.

Endlessly detailed and quietly dramatic, it makes a striking devotional statement piece and a genuine conversation starter - equally at home in a study, a hallway, a church, or a "dark academia" gallery wall.

Printed on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper.

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SCRIPTURES IN THE PICTURE

The picture is a map of roughly 100 Bible texts. Those named in the original explanation include:

In the heavens: 1 Peter 3:12 - 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 - Romans 11:36 - Revelation 21:23 - Revelation 5:11-14 - Revelation 7:9 - Revelation 2:10 - Hebrews 12:22-23 - Hebrews 1:14

The place of decision: Matthew 7:13-14 - John 5:39 - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 - Romans 2 - Romans 10:17 - 2 Corinthians 6:2 - Hebrews 3:7-8 - 2 Peter 3:9 - 1 Timothy 2:4 - John 3:36 - John 3:3 - Psalm 38:4 - Matthew 11:28 - John 6:37 - Romans 13:10 - Romans 3 - 1 Corinthians 15:22 - Galatians 3:24

The Broad Way: Isaiah 5:22 - 1 Corinthians 10:7 - Isaiah 5:12 - Proverbs 5:3-5 - Proverbs 7:6-27 - Acts 1:18 - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 - 2 Peter 2:17-18 - Proverbs 6:16-19 - Proverbs 12:10 - Exodus 20:15 - John 5:44 - Job 24:9 - Ecclesiastes 5:10 - Ecclesiastes 3:11 - Luke 14:16-20 - 1 John 2:16 - Luke 17:26-30 - 1 Timothy 6:10 - Exodus 20:13 - Matthew 22:9 - 2 Corinthians 5:20 - Ezekiel 33:11 - Luke 19:10 - Jeremiah 15:14 - Jeremiah 9:22 - Ezekiel 20:12-13 - Deuteronomy 32:22 - 2 Peter 3:10 - Matthew 25:41 - Daniel 5:27 - Luke 16:26

The Narrow Way: Matthew 19:29 - John 14:6 - Revelation 22:17 - 1 Corinthians 10:4 - 1 Peter 2:24 - Isaiah 53:5 - 1 John 2:18 - Matthew 25:6 - 1 Timothy 1:15 - 2 Corinthians 5:15 - Colossians 1:21-22 - Ephesians 2:8-9 - Galatians 3:26 - Luke 9:23 - Matthew 25:34-40 - Luke 9:48 - Mark 6:2 - 2 Timothy 4:10 - Ephesians 6:12 - Ephesians 6:11 - 1 Peter 5:8 - Isaiah 12:2 - Romans 8:31-34 - Hebrews 12:14 - Luke 15:16-19 - Job 33:29-30 - Psalm 112:4 - Psalm 97:11 - 1 Corinthians 10:13 - Psalm 103:1 - Philippians 1:21 - John 11:25

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✦ MORE FROM OUR SHOP

This print is part of our Spiritual & Religious Art collection. If you love it, browse the rest of our Spiritual & Religious Art range - plus our Fine Art, Botanical & Floral, and Buddhist & Tibetan prints. Search your favorite theme in our shop to see the full collection.