The Arrest of Christ, from Speculum passionis domini nostri Ihesu Christi

Art Historical Context

*The Arrest of Christ* is a poignant woodcut from the 1507 publication *Speculum passionisini nostri Ihesu* ("Mirror of the Passion of Our Lord Christ"), a devotional book guided readers through scenes of Christ's suffering. This print captures the dramatic moment in the Garden of Gsemane, where soldiers seize Jesus following Judas's betrayal, evoking themes of suffering and betrayal central to Christian meditation during the Northern Renaissance. Designed by Hans Schäufelein—a gifted German engraver and pupil of Albrecht Dürerunder the collaboration of author Ulrich Pinder and publisher Friedrich Peypus, the work exemplifies early 16th-century woodcut techniques. Carved in relief on wood blocks and printed with ink, these affordable prints democratized religious art, allowing laypeople to own vivid Passion imagery for personal piety amid the late medieval devotion to Christ's Passion. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of Junius S. Morgan, 1919), this 9 7/16 × 6 5/16 in. sheet reflects the era's blend of spiritual intensity and technical innovation, bridging Gothic expressiveness with emerging Renaissance detail. It's a window into how art fostered empathy and faith in turbulent times.

About the Artist

Hans Schäufelein|Ulrich Pinder|Friedrich Peypus · 1480–1540

Hans Schäufelein (c. 1480–c. 1540) was a German painter and graphic artist of the Northern Renaissance whose career placed him at the heart of one of the most dynamic artistic environments in European history. As a young man, he entered the workshop of Albrecht Dürer in Nuremberg, an experience that proved decisive: Dürer's meticulous approach to draughtsmanship, his mastery of printmaking, and hi...