Artwork
Christ before Annas
Christ before Annas is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Lucas Cranach the Elder. It dates from 1509 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
It shows Christ standing before Annas, the high priest, in a plain room lit by a single window.
Lucas Cranach the Elder carved this woodcut before 1509. It shows Christ standing before Annas, the high priest, in a plain room lit by a single window.
Woodcuts like this were made by carving an image into a wooden block. Ink was rolled over the raised parts, then pressed onto paper. Because the lines are crisp and bold, the scene feels sharp and real.
This piece is part of a series Cranach made for a religious book. Look up the technique called woodcut next.
Overview
Created in 1509, this woodcut by Lucas Cranach the Elder presents the biblical episode of Christ’s interrogation before the high priest Annas. Executed early in Cranach’s career, the image belongs to a series intended for a devotional book, illustrating a pivotal moment from the Passion narrative with a stark, interior setting.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a standing Christ confronting Annas within a sparsely furnished chamber illuminated by a single window. The encounter underscores themes of authority and suffering, reflecting the theological focus of early 16th‑century German art on the human drama of Christ’s trial.
Technique & Style
Cranach employed the woodcut process, carving the design into a wooden block, inking the raised surfaces, and transferring the image onto paper. The resulting lines are bold and precise, giving the scene a clear, graphic quality that emphasizes the figures’ outlines and the stark lighting of the interior.
History & Provenance
The print was produced during Cranach’s formative years as a printmaker before he assumed the role of court painter to the Electors of Saxony. Although the original block is lost, surviving impressions are held in several European print collections, documenting the work’s early circulation as part of a religious publication.
Context
Cranage’s early output, including this piece, aligns with the German Renaissance’s interest in biblical subjects and the emerging Protestant milieu. While the artist later became closely associated with Reformation reformers, this woodcut reflects the conventional Catholic iconography prevalent in devotional literature of the period.
Artist & collection
Artist
Lucas Cranach the Elder was a German Renaissance painter and printmaker in woodcut and engraving.
