The Passion: Christ Taken Captive
c. 1480
Martin Schongauer
Martin Schongauer (German, c.1450–1491)
Prints
The Passion: Christ Taken Captive, c. 1480. Martin Schongauer (German, c.1450–1491). Engraving; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1922.88 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—with his hands tied—is led away with a rope around his neck by one of his captors. A second soldier seizes him by his left arm, and a third one grasps a lock of his hair. In the foreground, Peter, in an attempt to save Christ, cuts the ear of the soldier Malchus with his sword. Judas, instead, flees with his bag of silver at left. Though the Roman soldier on the right holds a ball and chain weapon (or flail), such weapons are not known to have been used by the Roman military.
- Maker/Artist
- Schongauer, Martin
- Classification
- Formatted Medium
- engraving
- Medium
- engraving
- Departments
- Prints
- Accession Number
- 1922.88
- Credit Line
- Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland
- Exhibitions
- Italian and German Prints of the 15th Century, 15th Century German and Netherlands Prints from the Museum Collection, Inaugural Exhibition of the New Print Gallery - Prints from the Museum Collection, 15th Century German Engravings
- Rights Statement
- CC0
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