Getty Museum
Joseph of Arimathea Before Pilate
Creator
Simon BeningFlemish Illuminator · 1483–1561
All works by this person →One of the most celebrated painters of Flanders in the 1500s, Simon Bening was hailed by Portuguese art critic Francisco da Hollanda as the greatest master of illumination in all of Europe. In addition to producing books for powerful aristocrats such as Cardinal Albrecht of Brandenburg, Bening worked for a group of international royal patrons including Emperor Charles V and Don Fernando, the Infan
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1525–1530
- Medium
- Tempera colors, gold paint, and gold leaf
- Culture
- Flemish
- Department
- Manuscripts
- Institution
- Getty Museum
>And behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the Council, a good and righteous man (this one had not consented to their counsel and doings) of Arimathea, a city of Judea, who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. (Luke, 23:50-52) Kneeling in the center, Joseph of Arimathea man pleads with Pontius Pilate, who stands on the left in a magnificent brocade robe. Simon Bening contrasted Pilate's imperious stance, hand on hip and staff of office raised, with Joseph's posture of humility. Pilate stands beneath the arch of an imposing stone facade reaching up to the miniature's top frame, while a serene town, the open blue sky visible above, serves as a backdrop for Joseph and his companions. Bening thus divided the illumination into two halves, using body language and setting to increase the viewer's compassion for Joseph's cause.
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