Christus voor Pilatus

About this artwork

Christus staat, de doornenkroon op het hoofd en omringd door gewapende mannen, naast een man op een troon (Pilatus). Deze wast zijn handen in een schotel. Deze prent is onderdeel van een serie van twaalf prenten met scènes uit het Lijdensverhaal.

Art Historical Context

Martin Schongauer’s engraving *Christus voor Pilatus* (Christ before Pilate), created between about 1470 and 1491, captures a pivotal moment from the Passion narrative. Christ, crowned with thorns and flanked by armed guards, stands before the seated Roman governor Pontius Pilate, who dramatically washes his hands in a basin. Measuring just 162 by 115 millimeters, the small print belongs to a series of twelve engravings that together recount the story of Christ’s suffering and death. As a master of the engraving technique, Schongauer used fine lines and careful shading to convey both the sole...

About the Artist

Martin Schongauer · 1435–1491

Martin Schongauer, born around 1450–1453 in Colmar, Alsace, emerged from a family of skilled artisans. The third of four or five sons of goldsmith Caspar Schongauer, who had relocated from Augsburg to Colmar around 1440, Martin was immersed in the goldsmith's trade from youth, likely receiving his initial training in his father's workshop—a common path for early engravers. He further honed his ski...