Christ before Pilate
16th-17th century
Medium
Photography-Photoprint
Classification
Photography-Photoprint
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Accession Number
1929.6.148
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Christ before Pilate" captures a pivotal moment from the Passion of Christ, drawn from the New Testament account in the Gospel of John. In this scene, Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate, the Roman, who questions his claim kingship amid a tense crowd. Created by an unidentified Italian artist the 16th or 17th century, the original work reflects the era's deep Catholic devotion, when such biblical narratives were central to church art, inspiring faith and moral reflection during the Counter-Reformation. This photoprint, part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection, preserves the dr...
About the Artist
Unidentified (Italian)
The designation "Italian" in art collections typically refers to an anonymous artist or a loose attribution to works from Italian schools, rather than a specific individual. With 173 known artworks in the museum's collection, this entry likely encompasses paintings by unidentified masters active across various periods, such as the Renaissance, Baroque, or later eras. Early life and personal detail...