Christ Presented to the People

Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Roman governor Pontius Pilate on the dais points to Christ at his side as he asks the people whether he should release Barrabas or Christ (Matthew 27:21–23). Just as fascinating as the riveting central subject of this powerful print are the varied characters, attitudes, and poses to be found within the crowd of spectators witnessing the event from the street below and the surrounding windows. Rembrandt composed this print entirely in drypoint, which accounts for the velvety quality of many of the lines. With drypoint, Rembrandt could combine the immediacy of drawing with the ability to print many impressions of a single image. This impression was printed on Japan paper, whose yellow tone bathes the scene in a warm light. The standard-size Japan sheet was smaller than Rembrandt's printing plate, but the printmaker solved this dilemma by adding an extra strip of paper to the top of the sheet.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art