Pilate Washing His Hands

Albrecht Dürer

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a scene with several people by a large wall or building. The central person has a tall hat and is kneeling on a set of steps. They face the left and have distinctive facial features, with a prominent upper lip, upturned nose, and long chin. They hold a large pitcher that they are pouring on to the hands of a seated person at the top of the steps who has a curling beard and moustache and wears a cloth turban. Behind these two is a third person in a flat-topped hat who leans down to watch the water being poured. Behind these people, at the bottom of the steps, there is a group of people with tall crosses and weapons. One person who is turned away from us appears to be wearing a circle of branches or twigs around their head. In the background, there is a fortified town with peaked roofs and towers on a hill that lies next to a body of water.