Leaf from a Book of Hours: The Betrayal of Christ
c. 1470–85
Medium
ink, tempera and gold on vellum
Dimensions
12.4 × 9.3 cm
Classification
Manuscript
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
The Jeanne Miles Blackburn Collection
Accession Number
2005.208
Tags
About this artwork
This scene depicts the solemn moment of Christ’s arrest in the garden of Gethsemane when the kiss of his apostle, Judas, reveals his identity to captors. Following medieval artistic convention, Judas is usually depicted shorter than Christ. At the right, Simon Peter sheaths his sword while Christ heals the servant whose ear Peter cut off. The style and palette of this leaf are associated with Maître François, whose considerable commercial success encouraged many illuminators to imitate his forms...
About the Artist
Maître François (French)
Georges Hugnet (1906–1974) was a multifaceted French artist, poet, writer, and critic whose innovative collages and graphic works bridged Dada and Surrealism. Born in Paris on July 11, 1906, he spent much of his early childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, returning to France around 1913. His early life and artistic training remain sparsely documented, with no records of formal art school attendanc...