Christ Captured and Being Dragged by Hair Up Steps Before the Throne of the High Priest Annas, from "The Passion of Christ"
Original title: Christ captured and being dragged by hair up steps before the throne of the high priest Annas, from "The Passion of Christ", after Dürer
kurzbeschreibung
This engraving by Marcantonio Raimondi, made between about 1500 and 1534, belongs to a Passion series and shows Christ being dragged by the hair by a soldier before the throne of the high priest Annas. The present impression is the second of three states and derives from a design by Albrecht Dürer.
Description
Christ stands at the centre, surrounded by soldiers and servants. One man seizes him by the hair, another carries a lance. On the right, Annas sits enthroned on a seat with a cushion and a writing block. Arches and columns suggest an architectural setting behind them. The arrangement feels balanced, while the internal drawing relies on delicate strokes and hatching in black and white.
Context
Raimondi, an Italian Renaissance engraver, became known for his reproductive prints after Dürer. This sheet comes from a Passion series that draws on Dürer's woodcut cycle. Through his engravings, Raimondi spread Dürer's pictorial ideas in Italy; in the sixteenth century they were avidly collected.
Impact
The precise execution and clear linework make the event feel immediate and charged. The balanced layout and careful shading give the print a quiet but insistent presence that draws the viewer into the action.
Technique
In this engraving, lines are incised into a metal plate and then printed. Fine strokes and cross-hatching create graded grey tones and give the figures plastic fullness. The second of three states shows that the plate was reworked afterwards.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)