Arrest of Christ

Jesus is shown surrounded by a mob of armed soldiers while Judas identifies him with a betrayal kiss. In the foreground, Saint Peter pins the servant Malchus to the ground to strike him, while in the distance, a young man is seen fleeing the scene. The engraving utilizes dense, rhythmic line work to create a dramatic night-time atmosphere illuminated by a single torch.

Hendrick Goltzius was a central figure in the Haarlem Mannerist circle, which was deeply engaged with the intellectual currents of the late 16th-century Netherlands. This plate reflects the era's focus on the 'Protean' artist—one capable of shifting styles to emulate past masters like Dürer and Lucas van Leyden—a concept that resonated with alchemical ideas of transformation and the synthesis of historical knowledge.