Christus voor Kajafas / Christus voor Pilatus Possibly 1596 - 1654

This anonymous print depicts two scenes from the Passion of Christ, and comes to us from the Netherlands. The image of Christ before Caiaphas, a high priest, and then before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, speaks to the complex legal and political context surrounding Jesus's trial and crucifixion. Note how the architectural and costume details situate the biblical narrative within a specific time and place, likely 16th-century Europe. Such visual choices reflect the intersection of religious narrative and contemporary social structures. Looking closely at the print, we can see how the artist uses visual cues, like light and shadow, to guide our interpretation of the scene. We can interpret not just the subject of the artwork, but also the political and economic context that shaped its creation and reception, by looking at court records and religious texts from the time.