Jesus before Pilate
Medium
Etching, only state
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 9/16 × 2 7/16 in. (9.1 × 6.2 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
51.501.2158
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the hushed drama of *Jesus before Pilate* (1644–52), Bohemian etcher Wenceslaus Hollar masterfully reproduces a design by Renaissance master Hans Holbein the. This intimate etching captures a pivotal moment from the Passion of Christ, where Jesus stands accused before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, embodying themes of judgment, innocence, and power. At just 3 9/16 × 2 7/16 inches, its miniature scale invites close inspection, revealing Hollar's exquisite line work that echoes Holbein's Northern Renaissance precision. Hollar a virtuoso of 17th-century printmaking, specialized in such fa...
About the Artist
Wenceslaus Hollar|Hans Holbein the Younger · 1607–1677
Wenceslaus Hollar (1607-1677) was a prolific Bohemian etcher who became one of the most accomplished printmakers of the seventeenth century. Born in Prague, he trained under Matthäus Merian in Frankfurt before entering the service of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in 1636. Hollar spent most of his career in England, where he produced approximately 2,740 etchings documenting an extraordinary range...