Christ before Pilate: Large Plate
Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 55.2 x 44.9 cm (21 3/4 x 17 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.7175
Art Historical Context
In the heart of Rembrandt van Rijn's early mastery of printmaking stands *Christ before Pilate: Large* (1636), an etching captures a pivotal moment from the New Testament. Here, Jesus stands accused before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate surrounded by a tense crowd of soldiers, officials, and onlookers. Created when Rembrandt was just 30, this work reflects the Dutch artist's burgeoning fame in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age, a time when religious subjects remained central to art despite the Reformation's influence. Rembrandt's etching technique shines in this large-scale plate (55.2...
About the Artist
Rembrandt van Rijn · 1606–1669
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669) stands as one of the greatest visual artists in the history of Western art and the most important Dutch painter of the 17th century. Born in Leiden to a prosperous miller's family, Rembrandt transformed painting through his revolutionary use of light and shadow, his psychological depth in portraiture, and his elevation of etching to a fine art. His approx...