Christ before Pilate, from "The Passion"

Christ before Pilate, from "The Passion" is an important engraving created by the German Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer in 1512. This masterful print belongs to Dürer’s celebrated Engraved Passion series, a powerful cycle of sixteen images detailing the arrest, suffering, and ultimate sacrifice of Christ. The use of copperplate engraving allowed Dürer to achieve extraordinary precision and richness in tone, distinguishing his graphic work within the tradition of Northern Renaissance art.

The tightly composed scene captures the dramatic moment of confrontation between Christ and the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. While Pilate stands in an elevated position, asserting his temporal authority, the humble figure of Christ is placed slightly below him, creating a visual tension that underscores the moral dimension of the interaction. Dürer successfully conveys the pressurized atmosphere of the trial by crowding the figures into a confined space. Numerous supporting characters, including soldiers and other men of the judicial assembly, fill the foreground and background, observing the proceedings and adding narrative depth to the image.

As a highly reproducible medium, the print allowed Dürer’s influential style and profound religious themes to circulate widely across Europe, solidifying his reputation as the foremost graphic artist of his era. The detailed cross-hatching and sophisticated manipulation of light and shadow exemplify Dürer's complete technical mastery. This specific impression of Christ before Pilate is housed in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Given its age, cultural significance, and the historical circumstances of its creation, this important example of Renaissance prints is often found today among accessible public domain art resources.