Lucas van Leyden (1494-1533), Dutch engraver and painter, who was among the first Dutch practitioners of genre painting and is generally regarded as one of the finest engravers in the history of art. Born in Leiden, Netherlands, he was a consummate technician who created more than 200 engravings, etchings, and designs for woodcuts, mostly of religious and allegorical subjects. In 1521 Lucas met German painter and engraver Albrecht Dürer, whose influence led him to use stronger tones and more accentuated modeling of shadows.