The Passion: Christ Before Annas

c. 1480

The Passion: Christ Before Annas, c. 1480. Martin Schongauer (German, c.1450–1491). Engraving; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1922.87 Martin Schongauer's series of the Passion of Christ was his largest set of engravings, made around 1480, and extensively copied across Europe. It consists of twelve prints detailing the suffering of Christ in the last days of his life. Schongauer's version focuses on crowded scenes, grotesque physiognomies of Christ's tormentors, and great pathos in the compositions. Here, Christ is led to the high priest Annas to be judged, prior to being brought before Pontius Pilate. The dog in this scene likely refers to late medieval Passion literature, which often compared Christ's tormentors to dogs.