Christ Disrobed by the Soldiers, from Passion of Christ
1575/1600
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 16.2 × 11.3 cm (6 7/16 × 4 1/2 in.); Sheet: 17 × 12 cm (6 3/4 × 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
93100
Art Historical Context
Jan Sadeler I, a Flemish engraver active in the late sixteenth century, created this intimate scene as part of his *Passion of Christ* series. The image captures the moment when Roman soldiers strip Christ of his garments before the Crucifixion, a pivotal episode in Christian narrative that emphasizes both humiliation and impending sacrifice. Sadeler’s precise line work renders the figures with quiet intensity, inviting viewers to reflect on the human drama of the event. Executed as an engraving on ivory laid paper, the work exemplifies the reproductive power of printmaking during the Renaiss...
About the Artist
Jan Sadeler, I · 1550–1600
Jan Sadeler I (1550–1600) was born in Brussels and became the most prominent member of the largest and most successful dynasty of Flemish printmakers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The Sadeler family — which included Jan's brothers Aegidius and Raphael — produced an extraordinary volume of engravings that circulated across Catholic Europe, disseminating images of religious subjects, p...