Who painted Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples?

Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples was painted by Albrecht Dürer in 1510.

Where can I see Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples?

Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples is held by British Museum.

What movement is Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples?

Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples is associated with Northern Renaissance.

Can I buy a print of Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples?

Museum-quality prints of Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples

Albrecht Dürer , 1510

Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples is an ink print by the Northern Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer. It dates from 1510 and is held in the collection of the British Museum.

Inscription: Inscribed:in block, bottom right, on bench: AD [artist's monogram]; verso, lower center, in graphite by a later hand: 627; verso, lower left, in graphite by a later hand: B 25; verso, bottom center, in graphite by a later hand: 10

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The subject is drawn from the Gospel accounts and forms part of Albrecht Dürer's Little Passion series, a devotional cycle intended for prayerful contemplation.

Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples depicts the New Testament episode in which Jesus Christ washes the feet of his disciples, an act of humility performed before the Last Supper. The print shows Jesus and Saint Peter as the principal figures engaged in this gesture of service. The subject is drawn from the Gospel accounts and forms part of Albrecht Dürer's Little Passion series, a devotional cycle intended for prayerful contemplation.

The act of foot-washing carries layered symbolic meaning: it expresses Christ's humility and self-emptying love, serves as a model for disciples to follow, and prefigures the Eucharistic sacrifice he is about to offer. By taking the role of a servant, Christ inverts expectations of messianic power, presenting leadership as compassionate service rather than dominance.

Technique & Style

Albrecht Dürer’s Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples (1509) is a woodcut executed on laid paper, a technique central to the artist’s printmaking practice during the German Renaissance. The medium relies on the precise carving of a wooden block to create high-contrast lines and textures, characteristic of Dürer’s mastery of the form. Measuring 12.7 × 9.8 cm, the composition employs fine, controlled hatching and cross-hatching to model figures and drapery, achieving volumetric depth within the constraints of the medium.

Stylistically, the work reflects Dürer’s engagement with both Northern European detail and Italianate principles of proportion and spatial organization. The figures of Christ and Saint Peter are rendered with anatomical precision, while the interplay of light and shadow enhances the narrative’s emotional gravity. The print’s condition, as preserved in collections like the National Gallery of Art, remains dependent on the quality of impressions and subsequent handling, though specific conservation details are not uniformly documented across holdings.

History & Provenance

Albrecht Dürer created this woodcut in 1509 as part of his Little Passion series. The work's documented ownership history begins with Joseph Daniel Böhm of Vienna, followed by Robert Scholtz of Budapest. It subsequently passed through the hands of William Schab in New York before being acquired by Lessing J. Rosenwald in 1940.

Rosenwald donated the print to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1943, where it remains part of the institution's collection.

Legacy

The woodcut's focus on humble service shaped subsequent religious imagery and printmaking practice. Printmakers from the early 17th century onward turned to Dürer's compositional treatment of Christ's gesture and the disciples' varied reactions as a model for depicting divine humility. The work remained in continuous circulation through reproductive engravings and American museum holdings, notably within the Rosenwald Collection that formed the core of the National Gallery of Art's print department.

Its inclusion in major institutional inventories cemented its status as a benchmark for narrative printmaking in the German Renaissance tradition.

Overview

Christ Washing the Feet of the Disciples is a woodcut print on laid paper created by Albrecht Dürer around 1510.

Context

The work is a representation of a biblical scene, showcasing Dürer's ability to convey complex emotions and narratives through his art.