Pilate Washing his Hands
Engraving
1512 (engraved)
1512 (engraved)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The Engraved Passion (1507-1512) was one of four major series of religious prints made by Dürer, and helped to establish his reputation as an outstanding Renaissance printmaker. The others were the woodcut series of the Life of the Virgin, the Great Passion, and the Little Passion, all published in 1511. The Engraved Passion consists of fifteen small scale engravings and tells the story of Christ's betrayal by Judas, his crucifixion and resurrection. Dürer is renowned for inventing new and imaginative ways to depict scenes from Christian stories, and in the Engraved Passion the compositions of each plate are dramatic, intricate and complex, with emotive contrasts of light and shadow. Unlike the more populist woodcut prints, they were designed to appeal to a more exclusive market of connoisseurs and collectors. Because it took several years for the series to be completed, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. The series was also sold in sets for devotional use, and was widely copied by other printmakers and in other media.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Pilate Washing his Hands (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Engraving on paper |
Brief description | Pilate washing his hands; plate from 'The Engraved Passion' by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528); engraving |
Physical description | Engraving |
Dimensions |
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Style | |
Marks and inscriptions | '1512 / AD' (Date and artist's monogram inscribed at upper right) |
Credit line | Salting Bequest |
Object history | Engraving by Albrecht Dürer, 'Pilate Washing his Hands'; 1512, Nuremberg. Plate 9 from 'The Engraved Passion'. Date and artist's monogram inscribed at top right. At left, Pilate washes his hands, symbolically cleansing himself of Jesus' blood and responsibility for his death. At right, Jesus is lead away to crucifixion. In the centre, and the focus of the composition as he pours the jug of water, is a grotesque, jester-like servant, wearing an elaborately ribboned and puffed outfit. In the distance, the hill of Golgotha is visible above the roofs, spires and crenellations of a German medieval town. |
Historical context | Plate 9 from 'The Engraved Passion' |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | The Engraved Passion (1507-1512) was one of four major series of religious prints made by Dürer, and helped to establish his reputation as an outstanding Renaissance printmaker. The others were the woodcut series of the Life of the Virgin, the Great Passion, and the Little Passion, all published in 1511. The Engraved Passion consists of fifteen small scale engravings and tells the story of Christ's betrayal by Judas, his crucifixion and resurrection. Dürer is renowned for inventing new and imaginative ways to depict scenes from Christian stories, and in the Engraved Passion the compositions of each plate are dramatic, intricate and complex, with emotive contrasts of light and shadow. Unlike the more populist woodcut prints, they were designed to appeal to a more exclusive market of connoisseurs and collectors. Because it took several years for the series to be completed, it is likely that individual images were sold separately. The series was also sold in sets for devotional use, and was widely copied by other printmakers and in other media. |
Associated objects | |
Bibliographic references |
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Other number | B.11 - Le Peintre-Graveur |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.4642-1910 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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