1619
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Dominant colour
The Passion: Pilate Washing his Hands is a 1619 by Hieronymus Wierix, a Baroque work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This print shows a tense scene with four men indoors. One man in armor stands holding a tray, while an older man in a hat sits beside him, washing his hands. Two other men watch closely—one looks worried, the other holds a scroll. In the background, a building with a tower and a small crowd appear in a window. The Latin text below refers to a Bible story about Pilate washing his hands to avoid blame. The artist used strong contrasts between light and dark to focus attention on the central figures. Look up chiaroscuro to see how this technique works in other art.
Hieronymus Wierix (1553–1619) was a Flemish engraver, draughtsman and publisher. He is known for his reproductive engravings after the work of well-known local and foreign artists including Albrecht Dürer. Together with…
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