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Christ before Pilate

A work made of engraving on paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving on paper.

Date:

1500/05

Artist:

Giovanni Antonio da Brescia
Italian, c. 1460-1520

About this artwork

Giovanni Antonio da Brescia’s unusually large engraving Christ before Pilate recalls relief sculptures from the sides of Roman sarcophagi. The darkly crosshatched background creates a shallow depth of field and unifies the figural frieze. Pilate’s elevated placement and pointing finger emphasize his authoritative demeanor. The biblical text beneath his seat proclaims his unrealized intention to set Christ free; indeed, his captive’s foot seems to emerge from the picture plane. Da Brescia placed the line of sight below the horizon, creating the illusion of looking up for the viewer and thus increasing the image’s sense of monumentality.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Giovanni Antonio da Brescia

Title

Christ before Pilate

Place

Italy (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.

1500–1505

Medium

Engraving on paper

Dimensions

29.1 × 31.4 cm (11 1/2 × 12 3/8 in.)

Credit Line

Bequest of Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.

Reference Number

1956.984

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/4206/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.

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