The Arrest of Christ

Bernhard Strigel painted this Arrest of Christ around 1500 as part of his Walters Art Museum Passion cycle. The scene of Christ's capture in Gethsemane, including the kiss of Judas and Peter cutting off Malchus's ear, was standard in Northern European Passion cycles. Strigel followed established iconographic models from the Upper Rhine and Swabian traditions. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique.

Oil on panel with expressive figure grouping and strong tonal contrasts for the nocturnal scene. The lanterns and torches provide dramatic light effects characteristic of Northern Passion imagery.