Christ Before Pilate: Large Plate

Rembrandt · 1636
The Cleveland Museum of Art

Rembrandt’s largest etching of the 1630s, dated 1636 and finished with the burin. Like a few big prints of those years it was made after his own oil sketch in browns and greys, probably with an assistant’s help.

Jesus stands bound on the platform, crowned with thorns. Below, Pilate leans back on his seat as the elders press their staff and their arguments on him, while the crowd in the square shouts.

From the text

Jesus brought out wearing the crown of thorns (John 19:5)

“Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” shout the chief priests (John 19:6)

“I find no basis for a charge against Him” (John 19:6)

The artist’s own

A stone bust of an emperor on a column at the left

Pilate in a turban and a heavy patterned robe, under a tasselled canopy

Details

Jesus

Bound and crowned with thorns, he stands between soldiers.

Pilate

Pilate leans back, one hand raised as if pushing the request away.

The elders

Elders kneel and plead; one pushes a staff toward Pilate’s hand.

The bust

A stone bust on a tall column looks over the square.

Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669). The Cleveland Museum of Art (Bequest of Ralph King, 1926.482) · Etching and engraving · Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access: Collection API record "share_license_status": "CC0" (Creative Commons Zero, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/).

The verses

John 19:4–6Once again Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing Him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against Him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”