Christ Before the High Priest

A trial by candlelight

After his arrest, Christ is brought at night before the high priest. In Gerard van Honthorst’s painting, a single candle on the table lights the scene. The priest raises a finger as he questions Christ, who stands silent with his hands bound.

Honthorst painted it around 1617 in Rome, where he was known as Gherardo delle Notti, Gerard of the Nights, for his candlelit scenes. It belongs to the National Gallery in London.

The questioning priest

The high priest sits at the table in a fur-trimmed robe and cap, his face lit from below. His raised finger and open mouth suggest accusation. An open book of law lies in front of him.

Christ in silence

Christ stands opposite, his white robe glowing in the candlelight. He looks calmly at the priest, his hands crossed and bound. According to the Gospels, he answered little or nothing to the accusations.

One candle, deep shadows

The candle is at the exact centre of the confrontation. Its light falls on the two main figures and fades into darkness all around. Honthorst learned this dramatic contrast of light and shadow from the paintings of Caravaggio in Rome.

Behind the priest, two witnesses watch from the shadows, half lit.

Gherardo delle Notti

Gerard van Honthorst (1592 to 1656) was a Dutch painter from Utrecht who spent about ten years in Rome. There he absorbed the style of Caravaggio and became famous for night scenes lit by candles or lamps. The Italians called him Gherardo delle Notti, Gerard of the Nights. Christ Before the High Priest is his most celebrated work.

He returned to Utrecht in 1620, where he became a successful painter and taught many pupils.

The scene in the Gospels

After his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken at night to the house of the high priest. The Gospels describe the questioning, with false witnesses accusing him. Jesus mostly remained silent. Honthorst shows the priest, identified as Caiaphas or Annas, questioning him by candlelight.

The single candle

The candle on the table is the only source of light. It lights the faces of Christ and the priest, while the guards and witnesses behind fade into darkness. The light also has a symbolic meaning: Christ, who called himself the light of the world, stands calmly in its glow. The priest raises his finger, his face hardened by doubt.

For Marchese Giustiniani

The painting was made in Rome for Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani, a great patron of Caravaggio and his followers. It hung in his palace for many years. It entered the National Gallery in London in 1922.

Where to see it

Christ Before the High Priest hangs in the National Gallery in London. Our hand-painted oil reproduction follows this composition. You can also read about Honthorst’s The Supper Party and Adoration of the Shepherds.

Questions about Christ before the High Priest

Who painted it?

The Dutch painter Gerard van Honthorst, around 1617, in Rome.

Where is the original?

The National Gallery, London.

Why is it so dark?

Honthorst specialised in night scenes lit by a single candle, inspired by Caravaggio.

How large is it?

About 272 × 183 centimetres, oil on canvas.

What does Gherardo delle Notti mean?

Gerard of the Nights, a nickname given to Honthorst in Rome for his candlelit scenes.

Who commissioned the painting?

Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani in Rome.

Sources and image credit

• The National Gallery, London: Christ before the High Priest
• Wikimedia Commons: Christ before the High Priest

Public-domain reproduction of Christ before the High Priest (about 1617), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.