In 1653, dust from repairs to his home left Rembrandt unable to paint. He instead poured his energy into making some of his most spectacular prints, including this one. It shows the Roman prefect Pontius Pilate letting the public decide whether to grant the annual Passover pardon to Jesus or the notorious criminal Barabbas. The jeering crowd cries for Jesus’ crucifixion. Rembrandt chose to work in drypoint—directly scratching into the surface of the plate—because the method was not very sensitive to dust and because he could produce rich, velvety lines.

When considering the story of Pilate’s refusal to judge Jesus, Rembrandt consulted Lucas van Leyden’s 1510 engraving of the same subject. He borrowed, among other things, the stage, the stairs, the foreground crowd, and the onlookers in the windows.

Image: Detail of Lucas van Leyden, Dutch, c. 1490–1533, Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo), 1510, engraving. The Martin and Brown Endowment Fund 2012.92.3

The outdoor space of Rembrandt’s print was inspired partly by one that showed a Renaissance fresco by Raphael and partly by Amsterdam’s new Town Hall (now called the Royal Palace), a classical-style building then under construction.

Image: Giorgio Ghisi after Raphael, The School of Athens, 1550, engraving, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Two years after first publishing Christ Presented to the People, in 1653, he drastically altered his copper plate. He scraped away the foreground and replaced the crowd with an open pit with two dungeon-like openings. Why? Read the 'Rembrandt and Ecce Homo' to find out.

Image: Rembrandt, Christ Presented to the People (Ecce Homo), 1655, drypoint. The Driscoll Art Accessions Endowment Fund 2012.92.1