The Betrayal of Christ, from "The Passion"

The Betrayal of Christ, from "The Passion," is a masterful engraving created by Albrecht Dürer in 1508. This print is part of Dürer's influential series illustrating the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ, demonstrating the German artist’s pivotal role in the Northern Renaissance. The rigorous technique of engraving, executed on a copper plate, allowed Dürer to achieve extraordinary detail, using dense cross-hatching and fine lines to create subtle textures and deep shadows, which are essential to the dramatic intensity of this small-scale work.

The composition captures the violent confrontation in the Garden of Gethsemane, placing Christ at the center with an expression of serene submission. He is immediately surrounded by a chaotic, surging crowd of men. Dürer emphasizes the brutality of the moment through the prominent inclusion of weapons; soldiers are depicted wielding heavy staves and sharp swords as they press in to seize Jesus. The intricate rendering of the soldiers’ armor and the deep folds of their garments heightens the feeling of claustrophobia and impending violence.

As a leading master of early 16th-century printmaking, Dürer ensured the wide distribution and enduring influence of his religious narratives. This particular impression of The Betrayal of Christ resides in the esteemed collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). The enduring importance of Dürer’s foundational prints ensures that high-resolution reproductions are frequently made available in the public domain for continued scholarly and artistic study.