Pilate Washing His Hands

probably c. 1509/1510

Albrecht Dürer

Associated Names
Albrecht Dürer

Artist, German, 1471 - 1528

The image depicts an old architectural scene with a group of figures surrounding a centrally focused activity. Details in clothing, furniture, and architectural elements are showcased. The figures are engaged in a solemn activity, implicating a sense of narrative. The architectural setting has strong vertical columns and arches, creating a dramatic composition. Details like folds in garments, expressions and positions of the figures, and ornate decorations suggest fine craftsmanship.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet (trimmed to block): 12.8 × 9.7 cm (5 1/16 × 3 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1943.3.3652

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Meder, no. 145

  • Series Title

    The Small Woodcut Passion

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Joseph Daniel Böhm [1794-1865], Vienna (Lugt 271); Robert Scholtz [1834-1912], Budapest (Lugt 2241); (William Schab, New York); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA (Lugt 1760b and Lugt 1932d), 1940; gift to NGA, 1943.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1956

  • The Life of Christ in Prints, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1956-1957, no cat.

Bibliography

1932

  • Meder, Joseph. Dürer-Katalog; ein Handbuch über Albrecht Dürers Stiche, Radierungen, Holzschnitte, deren Zustände, Ausgaben und Wasserzeichen. Vienna: Verlag Gilhofer und Ranschburg, 1932. Reprint. New York: Da Capo Press, 1971.

2001

  • Schoch, Rainer, Mattihas Mende, and Anna Scherbaum. Albrecht Dürer: Das druckgraphische Werk. Munich, 2001: vol. 2: no. 206.

Inscriptions

in block, bottom left: AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower center, in graphite by a later hand: 627; verso, bottom left, in graphite by a later hand: B 36; verso, bottom center, in graphite by a later hand: 21

Watermarks

large imperial orb (Meder 53) (fragment)

Wikidata ID

Q18338635

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