The Betrayal of Christ, from "The Small Passion"

The Betrayal of Christ, from "The Small Passion" by Albrecht Dürer, created in 1509, is a quintessential example of Northern Renaissance printmaking. This woodcut belongs to Dürer’s influential cycle of thirty-six scenes depicting the Passion and life of Christ, a series designed specifically for widespread circulation and personal devotion. By embracing the accessible medium of the woodcut, Dürer ensured that his detailed and emotionally charged religious narratives reached a broad audience across Europe, significantly impacting visual culture at the turn of the sixteenth century.

The composition captures the dramatic culmination of the events in the Garden of Gethsemane. The central action focuses on the juxtaposition of the serene figure of Jesus being arrested and the surrounding chaos. A dense crowd of armed men presses violently into the scene; the numerous weapons-including spears, swords, and shields-emphasize the brutal nature of the event. Judas Iscariot is prominent, completing the identifying kiss that secures the betrayal. Dürer demonstrates exceptional technical mastery, using deeply cut lines and careful cross-hatching to achieve complex tonal effects, creating a dramatic sense of depth and texture rarely seen in woodcuts of the period.

The success of "The Small Passion" cemented Dürer’s reputation as the leading graphic artist of the German Renaissance. The work’s small scale and intense detail make it a powerful devotional piece, encouraging intimate engagement with the sacred narrative. This impression of The Betrayal of Christ is part of the extensive collection of prints housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Like many works by Renaissance masters, copies of these historically significant prints are frequently made available in the public domain, ensuring continued study of Dürer’s revolutionary approach to art and narrative design.