III.
Jesus is Condemned by the Sanhedrin

Christ Before the High Priest, c. 1617
Gerrard van Honthorst, Dutch (1592-1656)
Oil on canvas
National Gallery, London

A leading member of the Utrecht school, van Honthorst was heavily influenced by the Italian painter Caravaggio.  He went to Italy at the age of 18, where he became known as Gherardo delle Notti, because his figures are often portrayed in the darkness of night.  It was while in Italy that he painted Christ Before the High Priest.  When he returned to Utrecht in 1620, he opened a workshop in his home where he taught 25 pupils.  The early works of Rembrandt all have a strong van Honthorst influence.

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CHRIST CHURCH  Exeter, New Hampshire
The Way of the Cross 2008