Panel of clear glass painted with enamels and yellow (silver) stain. Depicting the Betrayal of Christ. Netherlands, ca.1650.

Panel of painted glass. The Kiss of Judas. Style of Abraham van Linge. Two soldiers in 17th century armour are rushing forward to seize Christ whilst Judas kisses Him; others with a lantern, a torch and weapons behind. In the foreground, St. Peter attacking Malchus with a sword. Painting in black, red, blue (of two shades) and purple enamel and silver yellow stain.

Bequeathed by Mr. Walter Guthrie

Judas Iscariot was one of the original twelve apostles who had been chosen by Jesus Christ to spread his teachings.

At the time of the Last Supper which is believed to have occured the day before Christ's arrest, Judas was amongst the twelve. Prior to sharing the bread and wine (the Institution of the Eucharist) Christ announced that one of the apostles would betray him.

After the supper, Jesus and the Apostles, minus Judas, went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was here that Judas arrived with soldiers ready to arrest Christ. Judas identified Jesus by kissing him.

All four of the Gospel writers record the treachery of Judas. They write that Judas had gone to the High Priests of the Temple in Jerusalem and offered to betray the whereabouts of Christ in exchange for money. The High Priests were eager to arrange for the arrest and trial of Jesus because they believed that some of his teachings were blasphemous.

This small devotional panel was painted in enamels. In the middle of the sixteenth century, new techniques for producing decorated glass had been introduced. Glass paints known as 'enamels' were used to paint directly onto the glass. The colours were produced by adding metallic oxides to a glass frit mixture and the resulting colour range included delicate blues, greens and reds as we see here.

The style of the painting has been likened to that of Abraham van Linge.

Judas Iscariot was one of the original Twelve Apostles who had been chosen by Jesus Christ to spread his teachings.

Judas was among the Apostles at the time of the Last Supper, the final meal of Christ on the day before his arrest. Before he shared the bread and wine with his disciples (the Institution of the Eucharist), Christ announced that one of them would betray him.

After the meal, Jesus and the Apostles, minus Judas, went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane outside Jerusalem. Judas arrived with soldiers and identified Jesus by kissing him, so that they knew whom to arrest.

All four Gospels record the treachery of Judas. He had gone to the high priests of the Temple in Jerusalem, offering to inform them where Christ could be arrested in exchange for money. The high priests believed that some of Jesus’s teachings were blasphemous and they were eager to capture him.

This small panel for private devotion was painted in enamels. In the middle of the 16th century new techniques for producing decorated glass were introduced. Glass paints known as ‘enamels’ were used to paint directly onto the glass. To produce the colours, metallic oxides were added to a glass frit mixture. The resulting colour range included delicate blues, greens and reds, as we see here.

C.247-1934