Christ before Caiphas, from "The Passion of Christ"
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 13/16 × 5 1/8 in. (19.8 × 13 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.167(4)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In Hendrick Goltzius's *Christ before Caiphas (1597), part of his renowned series *The Passion of Christ*, we witness a pivotal New Testament moment: Jesus standing trial before Caiaphas, the high priest amid tense accusations and dramatic tension. Created during the late Northern Renaissance, this engraving captures the emotional intensity of the biblical narrative, with Christ's serene composure contrasting the agitated figures around him. Goltzius, a Dutch master printmaker (1558–1617), drew from Mannerist influences, emphasizing elongated forms, swirling drapery, and heightened expressiven...
About the Artist
Hendrick Goltzius · 1558–1617
Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617) was the most celebrated engraver of the Northern Renaissance and a pivotal figure in Dutch Mannerism. Born near the German-Dutch border, Goltzius transformed printmaking into a virtuoso art form through his revolutionary 'swelling line' technique, where the burin was manipulated to create lines of varying thickness that produced unprecedented tonal effects and three-d...