Christ before Pilate

c. 1490/1500

German 15th Century

Associated Names
German 15th Century

Artist

This is a painting of a scene depicting several figures. One central figure is seated. The image has a medieval style with bold outlines and a limited color palette. The seated figure appears to be on a throne or a chair of importance, wearing a red robe. Surrounding the central figure are three standing figures, one with a halo-like disk behind their head. These figures are adorned in robes with vivid colors such as blue, green, and beige. The background is simple with a light sky and green ground, framed by a thick red border. This artwork is in the style of early European religious manuscripts or woodcuts known for its illustrative quality and vibrant use of color.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored in red lake, dark blue, yellow, and brown

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.9564

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, no. 263, State a

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Martin Aufhäuser [1875-1944], Munich, Holland, and Los Angeles; [1] Lessing J. Rosenwald, Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1943.
[1] For more information on Aufhäuser's collection, see Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art, Rosenwald Papers, Box 9; Lessing J. Rosenwald, Recollections of a Collector, Jenkintown, Pa, 1976, pp. 14-18, and Richard S. Field, Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts, Washington, D.C., 1965, Preface (np).

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 15, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965.

Wikidata ID

Q65018858

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