Artwork
Christ on the Mount of Olives
Christ on the Mount of Olives is an ink print by the Baroque artist John Baptist Jackson. It dates from 1743 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:in image, at bottom: Ill: mae atq; Excell: mae D: nae D: nae / Paulinae Contarenae / NOB: VENETAE, aviti sanguinis ingenti splendore clarae, sed Virtutum nebilitate longe clariori, piissimum / hoc Christianae Fidei monumentum, exiguum obseqentissimae servitutis suae signum, quod ex pictura / Jacobi de Ponte delineavit, exsculpsit, generosissimae Patronae, et Auspici dedicabat J: B: Jackson.
About this work
Overview
Christ on the Mount of Olives is a woodcut print created by John Baptist Jackson in 1743. It is executed in dark brown on laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts Christ praying on the Mount of Olives, surrounded by turbulent clouds and wind. Angels are shown nearby, their wings blurred, while a distant town glows faintly in the background. A Latin inscription at the bottom praises the subject.
Technique & Style
Jackson employed innovative techniques, including subtle overprinting and embossing, to achieve deep shadows and sharp lines. The use of a single color on dark paper creates an intense atmosphere, capturing the drama of the scene.
History & Provenance
John Baptist Jackson was a British woodcut printmaker active in Paris and Venice during the 18th century. He was known for reproducing oil paintings in woodcut, experimenting with oil-based inks and embossing to expand the medium's expressive possibilities.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
John Baptist Jackson (1701–1780) was a British artist, a woodcut printmaker of the eighteenth century.
![The Marriage at Cana [left plate], by John Baptist Jackson](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/john-baptist-jackson--the-marriage-at-cana-left-plate--22bae83d46cc40b5-w320.webp)
