Artwork
The Arrest of Christ
The Arrest of Christ is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Albrecht Altdorfer. It dates from 1513 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Altdorfer’s *The Arrest of Christ* is a woodcut printed on laid paper, dating to roughly 1513. The image captures the moment of Jesus’s capture, arranging a dense crowd of figures in a tightly packed composition. The work reflects the artist’s dual role as painter and printmaker within the early 16th‑century German artistic milieu.
Subject & Meaning
The print visualises the biblical episode in which soldiers and onlookers seize Jesus. Central to the scene is a figure in a white garment, surrounded by armed men and a lantern‑bearer whose light briefly illuminates the tangled bodies. The chaotic arrangement underscores the violence and confusion of the event, while the central figure’s calmness hints at spiritual resolve.
Technique & Style
Executed in black ink on laid paper, the woodcut relies on stark contrasts and vigorous line work. Rough, jagged cuts generate a sense of immediacy, while the dense hatching creates depth and texture. Altdorfer’s handling of light—suggested by a single lantern—adds dramatic focus within an otherwise monochrome field, a hallmark of his expressive printmaking.
History & Provenance
The piece remains a representative example of his early print output.
Created during Altdorfer’s active period in Regensburg, the print aligns him with the Danube School, a group that included Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber. Though primarily known for landscape painting, Altdorfer’s prints place him among the Nuremberg Little Masters, a circle of artists noted for finely detailed, small‑scale works. The piece remains a representative example of his early print output.
Artist & collection
Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main…
