Christ Before Caiaphas

This small, brightly-colored panel illustrates the New Testament scene in which Jesus Christ, after his arrest, is brought before the Jewish high priest Caiaphas who rips open his shirt in grief as hears from Christ what he considers blasphemy, for which he must condemn him. The figures are modeled in a strong “chiaroscuro” (contrast of lights and darks) and set against an intricately patterned gold background that resembles a finely woven tapestry.

The panel was originally joined by at least five others, now in various collections around the world, depicting additional episodes from Christ’s “Passion,” or the events leading up to his death at the Crucifixion. Probably arranged alongside one another as a type of low-rising altarpiece known as a "dossal," they are among only a handful of works attributed to Antonio della Corna, who was active primarily in his native Cremona in northern Italy. Antonio’s sculptural figure style demonstrates his familiarity with the art of his famous contemporary working in Padua, Andrea Mantegna (ca. 1430-1506), while the silvery flesh tones recall the work of Vincenzo Foppa (ca. 1427-1515), who worked mostly in nearby Milan.

Provenance

Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.

Cernuschi, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, May 25-26, 1900, no. 25; Trotti Galleries, Paris [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1913 [mode of acquisition unknown] [from the Trotti Galleries]; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.