Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

  • Mon 11–5
  • Tue–Wed Closed
  • Thu 11–8
  • Fri–Sun 11–5
  • The first hour of every day, 10–11 a.m., is reserved for member-only viewing.

Pilate Washing His Hands, from Passio domini nostri Jesu Christi

A work made of hand-colored woodcut on ivory laid paper with letterpress on verso, laid down on white laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of hand-colored woodcut on ivory laid paper with letterpress on verso, laid down on white laid paper.

Date:

c. 1503

Artist:

Urs Graf, the Elder (Swiss, 1485-1527/28)
published by Johann Knobloch (German, born Switzerland, died 1528)

About this artwork

The Roman official Pontius Pilate is seen here washing his hands before a crowd, having failed to convince Christ to defend himself. With this action, Pilate claimed to rid himself of the blood of an innocent man, and thus hoped to absolve himself from all responsibility for the death of Jesus Christ.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Urs Graf, the Elder

Title

Pilate Washing His Hands, from Passio domini nostri Jesu Christi

Place

Switzerland (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1503–1506

Medium

Hand-colored woodcut on ivory laid paper with letterpress on verso, laid down on white laid paper

Dimensions

21.7 × 15.6 cm (8 9/16 × 6 3/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Frederick Keppel & Co, New York. From E. W. collection Gift of Los Angeles Junior Museum to Children's Museum Given to Chicago Community July 1951.

Reference Number

1932.1216

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/13326/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.
Learn more

Image actions

Share

Suggested Terms