Christ before Pilate

Giovanni Antonio da Brescia’s unusually large engraving Christ before Pilate recalls relief sculptures from the sides of Roman sarcophagi. The darkly crosshatched background creates a shallow depth of field and unifies the figural frieze. Pilate’s elevated placement and pointing finger emphasize his authoritative demeanor. The biblical text beneath his seat proclaims his unrealized intention to set Christ free; indeed, his captive’s foot seems to emerge from the picture plane. Da Brescia placed the line of sight below the horizon, creating the illusion of looking up for the viewer and thus increasing the image’s sense of monumentality.